[Adisa]

Did you see the brick Fred sent to Bruno ?

 

[Vaibhav Raj]

Bruno had presence to take that touch, Fred just smashed it with a hope someone will get it

Bruno was totally ready for that rocket of a pass as well. The training sessions with Fred must have prepared him for the unexpected.

 

[roonster09]

Bruno was totally ready for that rocket of a pass as well. The training sessions with Fred must have prepared him for the unexpected.

Looks like our training sessions are working well

That whole bit is very good, Pogba getting tackled but still had presence of mind and ability to retain possession (with awesome skill), Fred's inconsistent passing and Bruno's presence of mind to take that touch.

I didn't see any other replays, was AWB ahead of Bruno? Maybe that pass was for player on the wing.

 

[Escobar]

Some pundits just can't give it a rest, can they? Very boring by now.
Pogba was amazing yesterday, long may it continue

 

[Borys]

Paul Pogba is the only player in world football who could get a record equaliing 4 assists in the premier league and then not be insanely praised for weeks to come

Instead within a day the media where right back to questioning, criticising, etc etc etc

People talk about the circus around him. There is one but it has sweet feck all to do with him and it's not his fault. He is a media magnet because they treat him differently. First hair, then dancing etc etc etc

If KDB ever got 4 assists in a game no one would be talking about anything other than that amazing feat. And not only was it 4 assists but they where very good and a wide variety of assists as well.

Pogba should be proud. Will be a long time if ever a Manchester United player equals this achievement. His name is etched in history and I really think it's not being credited near enough.

Pogba got all the love after the game (deserved), no hate from what I've seen. Not sure about which media you're talking about?
He attracts a lot of media attention because that's the kind of person he is. The more he plays like on Saturday, the less talk about him wanting to leave the club, even if that's still the most probable outcome.

I completely disagree with Micah view on the agent comments (which initiated the circus), but we've been through this a few times already on this forum. Plus if you're playing with fire (Raiola) don't be surprised to get burned.
Kane and Pogba situations are somehow similar, but Kane has been unprofessional and disrespectful (was he tricked by Levy?), while Pogba is getting justified criticism of him and his agent handling the situation in the media.

 

[golden_blunder]

So you dismiss the points in my post as a ‘myth’ only to be shown it isn’t by a number of posters citing posts you’ve either not read or ignored. . . Is that called irony?
It isn’t an insult to say I’m surprised a moderator would have seen one of the many Pogba+Unprofessional posts, it’s an observation.

You didn’t disagree with me, you dismissed the point made in spite of rather easy to attain evidence - if anything that’s insulting.

Can’t we all just get along. . .

Again I don’t think it’s ‘many’, I think it’s a vocal minority. Like we have had for many players in the past and no doubt in the future.
Does Pogba warrant us banning every person that speaks negatively about him? No, no player does/did. We aren’t here to shut opinions down unless they become racist etc.

so they can continue to say their opinions, you can continue to say they are wrong and the rest of us will continue to waver on the fence.

 

[Adam-Utd]

I've been thinking it for a long time so I might as well say it, Pogba is a better passer than Scholes

Scholes was the more consistent passer, but they played different roles in different teams.

Scholes would hit mainly long cross field passes out to the wingers, or force a pass into the strikers feed where they'd combine with the striker and Scholes would make a 3rd man run into the box to get on the end of it.

Pogba looks more for the killer pass himself, we play a more fluid system now compared to the often ridgid 4-4-2 teams that Scholes played in.

Pogba obviously does have an insanely good eye for a pass and he's one of the best ever IMO at the killer ball. It's hard to say he's BETTER than Scholes at passing though in general, i'm not sure i'd agree with that. Just better at the long killer pass.

 

[AFC NimbleThumb]

Again I don’t think it’s ‘many’, I think it’s a vocal minority. Like we have had for many players in the past and no doubt in the future.
Does Pogba warrant us banning every person that speaks negatively about him? No, no player does/did. We aren’t here to shut opinions down unless they become racist etc.

so they can continue to say their opinions, you can continue to say they are wrong and the rest of us will continue to waver on the fence.

Woah, woah, woah.

This has taken a serious turn of events here.

Does Pogba warrant us banning every person that speaks negatively about him?

Where have I asked for people to be banned/silenced. I’m actually a critic of things like the ‘mute’ feature on forums as they create an echo chamber but that’s for another discussion, where has this come from?

so they can continue to say their opinions, you can continue to say they are wrong and the rest of us will continue to waver on the fence.

Ok, so again more stuff I haven’t said. . .

Let’s rewind through the comments.

Yet RedCafe members will tell you Pogba is unprofessional, a bad influence & so on. . .

Simple statement.

Where does this myth keep coming from? I don’t think anyone has said such. These are the common complaints:

- inconsistent
- what position should he play?
- agent continually saying that he wants to leave
- coming out of contract; sign or sell. No one wants to lose him again for free

You call it a ‘myth’, so would that not be you calling me ‘wrong’. Not sure where this is going. . .

Ok lads, I’m more than happy to allow you to retract your posts. . .

This thread spanning 100+ pages is symptomatic of the Cafe & the analysis of Pogba.

Your heads are literally buried up your arses if you haven’t seen posters call him those things & more.

I’m not saying all posters do but far too many do, I’ve seen you both in more than enough threads to act like those comments aren’t happening.

Myth

I laugh off the myth statement & even state, ‘I’m not saying all posters do but far too many do’.

At this point other posters provide examples of Pogba+Unprofessional.

Pull some comments out that match what you said. I’m expecting there to be loads in a thread that’s 123 pages long. I suspect that by many you mean a handful

You’ve then moved from dismissing my sentence entirely; ‘myth’ to saying it’s a ‘handful’ yet I’d clarified this in my prior response.

One is too ‘many’ imo but again not sure why that’s relevant.

So is it a ‘myth’ or is it a ‘handful’?

Or are you going to continue to divert this by asking for comments although others have provided them already?

How you moderate this forum & can say you haven’t seen that ever astounds me.

I then say I find it astounding that a moderator hasn’t seen any Pogba+Unprofessional posts. An observation. I didn’t call for those comments to be moderated, I just find it surprising that you dismissed the first statement as mythology in spite of it being a running theme throughout his tenure.

So in conclusion. . .

• Where am I asking for bannings?

• Where am I getting onto people for disagreeing with me? I said if people claim they haven’t seen them their heads are up their arses as a foray into most Pogba threads will deliver some posts of that type.

We’re now veering further & further from your initial issue & I’m having words/phrases put on me that haven’t been used. Again, can’t we all just get along.

 

[golden_blunder]

Ok I think it’s best that we ignore each other and move on

 

[OldTrevil]

If he was like Scholes, we would not be looking for another midfielder. Pogba plays further forward, and more regularly plays the fantasy pass. On his best days he can control a game through a mix of dribbling, physical presence, and passing. Scholes could set the whole game's tempo by just varying his passing. Maybe fewer amazing assists, but tighter control, less mistakes, and better decision-making.

We've been misusing him in my view, while he's delivered as much as he could. In terms of control and overall positioning, we've seen better from Scholes yes. However even Scholes spent much of his younger days playing further forward primarily as a attacking mid, only with a better midfield and defense behind him. Pogba still has time to master the game like Scholes did in his latter years.

I think it is true for short passing. But, not for long passing. He is not even Carrick's level yet or does not show it enough at this point.

For me, it's the long passing where Pogba has without a doubt proved his excellence. He still has a lot to show in the short passing category at United, but short passing and being allowed to control a game, if I may add, also depends a lot on the players he's surrounded with in the middle.

Scholes doesn't dwell on the ball and his consistency on the balls came late in his career. I would wait before making a comparison.

That's why I said as a passer, Pogba is still yet to achieve the overall level of consistency and mastery that Scholes reached.

Scholes was a better short passer. Had a fantastic range. Scholes had great pass selection too and this allowed him to keep the ball more often than not, and he was also better at making himself available for a pass than Pogba.

Pogba is a better final passer though for my money, Scholes simply didn’t create the same volume of direct chances and with the same range of final pass either. He’s obviously created goals and chances too, but not at the same volume. His passing was more into channels.
If I had to summarise, Scholes was undoubtedly the better passer in his own third (and the middle third), Pogba the better passer in the final third. And I think Pogba may slightly edge the long-passing too, although both excelled here. Just think Pogba has a bit more variety in his bag in terms of volleys, inside/outside etc.

Then there’s also the fact that every pass Pogba can hit with his right foot he can also hit with his left.

I agree that Pogba still has a lot to show in terms of his play further back in midfield, but I will still maintain that he's a better passer whether you're looking at technique, accuracy and precision.

Final third? Yes. Overall Not a chance.

Scholes was incredible passer both short and long, with insane accuracy. We used to attack from wings consistently, most of the time our wingers faced 1v1 with the defenders, one of the reason for that was Scholes ability to pick the wingers with ease and consistently.

I loved Scholes game, he was incredible as a passer and later grew into a magnificent controller by setting the tempo. Our wingers found it easy back then because our whole team was geared to dominate, from a often world class defense, midfield and strike force. While Pogba is yet to show the level of control and game intelligence that Scholes shown, he hasn't had anywhere near the same level of team around him at United to show it. The few times he had, such as for France, he's been incredibly dominant, and I've always maintained that he was the best player not just for France at WC2018, but for the whole tournament. The jury is still out for his United carrier in comparison to Scholes, though.

Disagree. Pogba might be slightly better at through balls but that's it. A huge part of passing ability is the ability to do it in all sorts of conditions - including situations where space is at a premium. The difference is that Scholes' football brain worked faster than most which meant that in the situations where Pogba's holds on to the ball too long or misplaces passes due to panic/poor decision making, Scholes had already worked out exactly what he wanted to do. As much as I enjoy watching Pogba he doesn't have that playmaking ability. Plus, Scholes short passing in terms of pure ability was better. Pogba's is fine but it's the creative plays where he excels. Short passing exchanges is not something he's very good at.

I don't doubt Pogba's ability to pass his way through a midfield or the press, its just that he rarely shows it at United due to being surrounded by players who are not able to play that kind of game. Many times at United, as soon as he receives the ball, he's looking for the long pass into Rashford or others because we either are playing on the counter or the players around would not be able to find him in a better position by passing through high intensity midfield pressure. I've seen him run rounds around midfields with short passing for France.

 

[laughtersassassin]

Tweet

— Twitter API (@user) date

I love that every player in the squad gets the Anti Racism bands from Pogba.

How it is ever questioned that this man is good for squad harmony is madness.

 

[tjb]

Nah. Even in terms of long ball accuracy, Scholes was consistently the source of us stretching teams. His passing may not have been as creative, but he was partially the reason we could stretch teams so effortlessly. Scholes was also very good at passing his way out of pressure, Pogba has proven not to be so good at that.

 

[tjb]

Pogba and anyone making a run off the ball have an underrated connection.

Ironically, it wasn't the goals that made me think this. The general interplay, they created about 4 chances for each other yesterday, not just a Pogba to Greenwood long ball.

 

[Highfather_24]

Saying Pogba is crap because he cannot displace McFred from midfield is asinine. Even prime Wesley Sneijder will not displace McFred from our midfield, because that's not his position. Most 8/10 hybrids like Maddison, Grealish, Bruno etc cannot.

If we play McT at CB and he struggles, we wouldnt bash him for not playing both roles equally well(CM and CB). Lack of versatility cannot be used as a stick to beat a player with. Pogba is an attacking midfielder. Not a CM.

 

[Jeppers7]

2 good games in 10 ratio…..must be due about 25 bad games by now.

 

[Jeppers7]

Saw also two people on here saying how this performance shows how bad he was last season, despite the fact that he was very good once he recovered from Covid.

That’s equivalent to saying Bruno’s hat trick shows how poor he was from January to the end of last season….only it makes more sense because Bruno was actually largely poor in that time.

 

[GreenFieldsGoldenBarley]

Pogba got all the love after the game (deserved), no hate from what I've seen. Not sure about which media you're talking about?
He attracts a lot of media attention because that's the kind of person he is. The more he plays like on Saturday, the less talk about him wanting to leave the club, even if that's still the most probable outcome.

I completely disagree with Micah view on the agent comments (which initiated the circus), but we've been through this a few times already on this forum. Plus if you're playing with fire (Raiola) don't be surprised to get burned.
Kane and Pogba situations are somehow similar, but Kane has been unprofessional and disrespectful (was he tricked by Levy?), while Pogba is getting justified criticism of him and his agent handling the situation in the media.

I remember during the Mourinho days one summer at the height of when Pogba was being criticised. His relationship with Mourinho properly broke down the previous season and he had said something after the world cup about being ready for a new challenge. It was just after that last day when he had been booed at the Stretford End.

He came back from holiday 1 week early after the world cup, played our first game against Leicester from the start, and scored as we won.

That's really comparable to the Kane situation. When you're comparing players' professionalism, I don't think there's any comparison. Pogba came back early to help the team, whereas Kane refused to come back on time. In terms of how both have conducted themselves while wanting a move away, how is it that Pogba's professionalism is doubted while Kane is held up as a 'footballing saint' (tm Gary Neville)?

We can criticise Pogba for his handling of his media handling, but surely not turning up for training and undermining your club's preparation for the new season is worse?

 

[laughtersassassin]

I remember during the Mourinho days one summer at the height of when Pogba was being criticised. His relationship with Mourinho properly broke down the previous season and he had said something after the world cup about being ready for a new challenge. It was just after that last day when he had been booed at the Stretford End.

He came back from holiday 1 week early after the world cup, played our first game against Leicester from the start, and scored as we won.

That's really comparable to the Kane situation. When you're comparing players' professionalism, I don't think there's any comparison. Pogba came back early to help the team, whereas Kane refused to come back on time. In terms of how both have conducted themselves while wanting a move away, how is it that Pogba's professionalism is doubted while Kane is held up as a 'footballing saint' (tm Gary Neville)?

We can criticise Pogba for his handling of his media handling, but surely not turning up for training and undermining your club's preparation for the new season is worse?

Pogbas proffesionalism literally cannot be questioned in truth.

He is a model professional always has been.

Love that he has a record that no other Manchester United player has. Well earned.

 

[GreenFieldsGoldenBarley]

Ironically, it wasn't the goals that made me think this. The general interplay, they created about 4 chances for each other yesterday, not just a Pogba to Greenwood long ball.

The play between him and Greenwood for Fred's goal was really encouraging, right? Especially because I'd sorta expect it to be the other way round, with Pogba playing the reverse pass for Greenwood to run onto and cross. When everyone is interchanging like that it's impossible for a defence to second guess what any of our players are gonna do

 

[Godfather]

Some pundits just can't give it a rest, can they? Very boring by now.
Pogba was amazing yesterday, long may it continue

Amen

 

[Borys]

I remember during the Mourinho days one summer at the height of when Pogba was being criticised. His relationship with Mourinho properly broke down the previous season and he had said something after the world cup about being ready for a new challenge. It was just after that last day when he had been booed at the Stretford End.

He came back from holiday 1 week early after the world cup, played our first game against Leicester from the start, and scored as we won.

That's really comparable to the Kane situation. When you're comparing players' professionalism, I don't think there's any comparison. Pogba came back early to help the team, whereas Kane refused to come back on time. In terms of how both have conducted themselves while wanting a move away, how is it that Pogba's professionalism is doubted while Kane is held up as a 'footballing saint' (tm Gary Neville)?

We can criticise Pogba for his handling of his media handling, but surely not turning up for training and undermining your club's preparation for the new season is worse?

Yeah, that's why I said Kane professionalism is questionable, while Pogba deserves criticism for handling the situation with the media and his agent. Different problems while being in similar situations. Plus I'm not convinced Pogba really wants to leave, I think it was all about the money from day one.

 

[Schmeichel's Cartwheel]

2 good games in 10 ratio…..must be due about 25 bad games by now.

He’s played well for ages though?

 

[Posh Red]

He’s played well for ages though?

Think that’s the joke

 

[Schmeichel's Cartwheel]

Think that’s the joke

Ahh, haha. My excuse is it’s late & I’m tired

 

[Posh Red]

Ahh, haha. My excuse is it’s late & I’m tired

I’ll be honest it took me a minute to get it too

 

[United in sin]

Don't get me wrong, Pogba had an excellent game like several he has had in the past. Now let see him do it for 2 months consistantly and against top of the table teams and not a middle of the road team. He won't get that time and space against Chelsea and City.

You've never seen Pogba put on a masterclass against those clubs? Remember his performance and headed goal against Chelsea in the FA cup 5th round a few seasons ago? His two goals in the comeback 2-3 win away to City?

 

[Schmeichel's Cartwheel]

Don't get me wrong, Pogba had an excellent game like several he has had in the past. Now let see him do it for 2 months consistantly and against top of the table teams and not a middle of the road team. He won't get that time and space against Chelsea and City.

Pogba has bossed Chelsea several times & had the most memorable game of his United career against City.

 

[CanadianUtd]

still in awe

Tweet

— Twitter API (@user) date

…one of the all time EPL performances, especially for a season opening match.

Unreal.

 

[Eugenius]

Pogba has bossed Chelsea several times & had the most memorable game of his United career against City.

There is a very odd tendency for Utd fans on here to dislike their own players for reasons which are easily disproved and irrational.

 

[Jeppers7]

still in awe

Tweet

— Twitter API (@user) date

…one of the all time EPL performances, especially for a season opening match.

Unreal.

Sublime footballer. All will be forgotten however the next time he doesn’t have a great game.

 

[Jeppers7]

He’s played well for ages though?

 

[MrBest]

The thing with Pogba, his talent is unreal and when he is in the mood, he is by far one of the best midfielders in the world. The criticism I give him is firstly, consistency but secondly, his agent. Raiola is a toxic person, motivated by a pay cheque and its clear that his clients surpress to this too. If Pogba had an agent that was not constantly feeding rubbish into his head, i think we would see a more consistent Paul. Thirdly, he does not have a role. One minute he is played left, then DM, then CM, they steps into a 10. A player like him is a specialist, the squad needed to be built around his right position.

For me, he has to produce performances like the one against Leeds on a regular basis, the same consistency we see from KDB. He is more than capable, he is in his prime now so I hope this is the season he smashes opinions away. If it gets us a title and he leaves next season for free, im good with that.

 

[Born2Lose]

Pogba in a nutshell, more assists in one PL game than all of last season.

 

[8thWonder]

Pogba in a nutshell, more assists in one PL game than all of last season.

Interesting* footnote - apparently those three assists last year were all for Greenwood...

Hopefully they can link up well again this year.

* May not be interesting

 

[Chief123]

2 good games in 10 ratio…..must be due about 25 bad games by now.

At the beginning of last season I was at the point where I was happy for Pogba to go. His up and down performances was happening for too long.

But since his recovery from Covid, he’s been brilliant and consistently good at that. I was gutted second half of last season because he was playing so well and we were resigned to losing him. So it’s nice to see we have at least one more season of him and he’s continued from where he left off.

 

[MDFC Manager]

That's really comparable to the Kane situation. When you're comparing players' professionalism, I don't think there's any comparison. Pogba came back early to help the team, whereas Kane refused to come back on time. In terms of how both have conducted themselves while wanting a move away, how is it that Pogba's professionalism is doubted while Kane is held up as a 'footballing saint' (tm Gary Neville)?

That just speaks volumes about the kind of person Neville is, more than Kane or Pogba.

 

[Chief123]

Pogba in a nutshell, more assists in one PL game than all of last season.

I’ve seen this a few times and do think it’s a stat without much context. Pogba had issues for large parts of last season with injuries and covid. On top of that, he didn’t play many games in the attacking zones that he’s currently playing now and that he played against Leeds.

 

[Chief123]

Even Troops is licking his lips over Pogba

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMRLHgxpa/

 

[laughtersassassin]

In the Prem Pogba played mostly in the pivot.

It was more so the EL where he played on the wing.

No other player who plays in a Midfield 2 gets practically any goals or assist at all.

 

[dal]

Pogba played a different role that he normally plays though against Leeds. It was almost like he mirrored the Rashford position.

He received the ball in an advanced position for masons goal.

Problem is, dare I say, it’s easier to do this against Leeds but you just know he’ll go 5 games now losing the ball often and not getting an assist.