Pogba & Covid-19 (Stay on topic!)

[Fortitude]

How much has Covid taken out of him as a player? He looks exhausted a lot of the time and like he has simply not fully recovered from it.

I know he's classed as lackadaisical in his general approach, but this season, he hasn't looked himself, has he? He's not capable of repeat runs or breakout sprints, and any concerted action in any direction sees him gassed for far longer than he should be. Even if he wants out, to put himself in the shop window and make him self a tasty proposition for potential suitors, he wouldn't be purposely looking like he has done for the majority of his post-Covid playing time.

Has Covid done a number on him, or will his fitness get back to what it should be?

This thread isn't for Pogba love/hate spam that permeates endless threads on here. Please stay on topic, or simply post in any of the other threads and not this one.

 

[Judas]

He looks no different to the Pogba pre-covid to me. He'll have great moments, the odd game where he's brilliant, but often sluggish and just a bit blah. Maybe there's stats to backup a big difference, but I don't see it personally.

 

[Rozay]

Let’s make another thread to invite Pogba bashing because 80% of threads on the forum don’t descend into that already.

 

[Paxi]

He's just a lazy, sloppy cnut so I don't think it's anything to do with Covid.

 

[EngimaMK]

He's no different from the pogba we have had for years. Stop using covid as an excuse for him underdelivering as a player here.

 

[Will Singh]

Your blaming Covid for Pogba's shit performance? I thought it was because he's neighbours cat died!

 

[el3mel]

Ronaldo, Salah and Zlatan got COVID and they didn't look affected. Pretty sure many players got it as well.

It's Pogba. COVID has nothing to do with it.

 

[simplyared]

His performance today was a disgrace. Nothing to do with Covid. It's called "can't be arsed"

 

[Borys]

I've known many many people who got Covid, and I've never seen one person who didn't improve his fitness drastically in 1-2 months since recovering. Let alone a sportsman.

So yeah, not much would be my answer. He is allowed to run fast only with the ball and forward, never backtracking the It's just who he is and always has been. I am surprised so many people didn't see it.

 

[Classical Mechanic]

His bottom level looks the same it always has.

 

[Canagel]

Best player in the club in December

 

[UmbroDays]

Let’s make another thread to invite Pogba bashing because 80% of threads on the forum don’t descend into that already.

This thread is already that. Really didn’t need to be another Avenue for bashing Pogba.

forum is getting obsessed for that scapegoat and if it’s not Ole is Pogba.

It’s like these posters don’t ever watch any other team outside of us and think every player is playing 10/10every week.

 

[Freak]

Covid or no covid his performances have been consistently bad more often than not.

 

[TwoSheds]

Thought he played ok. Poor for their 2nd goal but he's never defended well for us so I don't know why anyone expects it now.

 

[Danillaco]

I don't think there's any relation to Covid. That's just an excuse and a poor one.

 

[ZupZup]

Some games he will put in the effort... others he just doesn’t. You know which you are going to get early on and unfortunately, it was the latter today. His lack of effort in defending during the lead up to their second goal infuriating. We’ve done the hard work in getting a goal and just need to defend a slender lead for 15 minutes but he’s not bothered about helping Shaw at all. Can be great on his day but he can’t be trusted to put in a performance week in, week out. And that is all down to attitude sadly.

 

[Idxomer]

His dribbling ability and pace have gone which is the most noticeable difference from Pogab pre-covid and also before his injury last season, the latter might have had the bigger effect for all we know.

 

[Fortitude]

His dribbling ability and pace have gone which is the most noticeable difference from Pogab pre-covid and also before his injury last season, the latter might have had the bigger effect for all we know.

This is a good point and where the lines blur a bit - is it just how he is post-injury, or has Covid drained him, or is it both?

Athletically, he does not look himself. I think whatever is said about his actual game is for another discussion (if needed), but in terms of fitness, mobility and most importantly, recovery, he really looks to be flagging.

 

[TheNewEra]

I used to be a huge advocate of Pogba, but when he plays he just loses the ball too much.

One plus of Pogbas is his range of passing, he's had big game moments this season but he's a level below Bruno.

A true deep-lying playmaker would be better in our squad than Pogba, I used to rate Pogba so highly but with our current defence and given how deep Pogba plays he loses the ball far too much.

Obviously he has some sublime moments, e.g. West Ham, the pass to Martial, but those moments of brilliance typically come after 5 individual errors.

 

[lex talionis]

Pogba got his treatment several months ago.

 

[GMoore23]

Covid doesn't seem to have effected a 35 year old Ronaldo much. Pogbas just a lazy player.

 

[Ronaldo's ego]

We’ll never know if he’s suffering from long term COVID effects or is just his lazy, half arsed self.

 

[Zen86]

Hopefully playing like a man who’s on his way out in January.

 

[Camilo]

Covid will have no appreciable affect on any pro athlete, bar extreme examples. He's just a bit shit.

 

[Trequarista10]

For certain it impacted his performance at the start of the season. Highly doubtful it has much or any impact now.

He's hit and miss even in his best position, today he was even more useless playing left midfield. Made zero impact whatsoever. He was very good last week against Sheff Utd though.

 

[Leftback99]

He looks the same as when he first came to the club as a youth player. He's never been one to put a shift in.

 

[Bobski]

Problems with his energy levels were there well before covid.

He is a big guy, and one who looks bulkier than he was 3-4 years ago, it is hard for guys his size to match the mobility of smaller, lighter men over a 90 min game/

 

[morbidsaint]

Ronaldo, Salah and Zlatan got COVID and they didn't look affected. Pretty sure many players got it as well.

It's Pogba. COVID has nothing to do with it.

This can hardly be used as an argument. Some people barely feel that they got the virus while others actually dies or gets extremely ill. And many has gotten other problems after they had Covid-19. Whatever it might be, nobody here will ever get to the bottom of this, so i don't see the value in debating it. All i know is that Pogba is not performing good enough, for whatever reasons.

 

[calodo2003]

Don’t see any daylight between pre- & post-Covid Pogba.

 

[United58]

 

[clarkydaz]

If he never wins a trophy again people will say covid

 

[MadDogg]

The performances during the first month of the season were almost certainly related to Covid and I think it was poor management to have been playing him then. Even if it wasn't Covid itself, it had stopped him having any preseason at all. All over Europe we've seen the teams who didn't really get a preseason because of CL and Europa at the end of last season struggle at the beginning of this season, and Pogba was even further behind everyone else in those teams. He should have, at most, been coming off the bench for the first few weeks.

I don't think it's impacting him anymore though. Today was just a poor match, no excuses.

 

[Fortitude]

Problems with his energy levels were there well before covid.

He is a big guy, and one who looks bulkier than he was 3-4 years ago, it is hard for guys his size to match the mobility of smaller, lighter men over a 90 min game/

Agree with this; the mass he put on slowed him, too. But he's about as athletic as someone like Matic at the moment, which is far removed from what he is, or at least, was.

The performances during the first month of the season were almost certainly related to Covid and I think it was poor management to have been playing him then. Even if it wasn't Covid itself, it had stopped him having any preseason at all. All over Europe we've seen the teams who didn't really get a preseason because of CL and Europa at the end of last season struggle at the beginning of this season, and Pogba was even further behind everyone else in those teams. He should have, at most, been coming off the bench for the first few weeks.

I don't think it's impacting him anymore though. Today was just a poor match, no excuses.

Thread really isn't in defence of the player, rather a pure inquiry into why he looks so sluggish and off it. People saying he looks the same as always can't possibly be paying attention, as, generally, Pogba's biggest issues when tracking back were positional and in relation to him having no clue of where he should be nor sensing danger enough to track off-the ball runners etc. that said, he was always in the vicinity to do so, but now, he ambles and he flags and it looks like, with the greatest will in the world, he hasn't the legs underneath him to get around the pitch to the best of his own ability.

What's more apparent than ever is any concerted explosive movement he makes now, he has to recovery from and that shouldn't be the case for a player in his supposed peak years as an athlete.

 

[Hugh Jass]

Covid or no covid, he is not a 90 million pound player. Half that and thats being nice.

 

[kouroux]

It can affect pros differently, some feel fine and some feel like this.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...araATVb-DMCXqHjjB&ampcf=1&cshid=1609010664606

Today he was bad and that wasn't Covid IMHO, however I have no doubt he was affected by it a while after he returned from it. The fact he wasn't starting games for France was what convinced me tbh.

 

[Borys]

Some games he will put in the effort... others he just doesn’t. You know which you are going to get early on and unfortunately, it was the latter today. His lack of effort in defending during the lead up to their second goal infuriating. We’ve done the hard work in getting a goal and just need to defend a slender lead for 15 minutes but he’s not bothered about helping Shaw at all. Can be great on his day but he can’t be trusted to put in a performance week in, week out. And that is all down to attitude sadly.

This is simply not true. He always does the same things. And he always doesn't do the same things. It's just some opposition doesn't punish us and his flaws are not highlighted.

His performance level depends on opposition level of performance. This is why we need to get rid, he doesn't make us a better team.

 

[arthurka]

He must have had Covid for years then. Always the same shit.

 

[United58]

 

[Cloud7]

Ronaldo, Salah and Zlatan got COVID and they didn't look affected. Pretty sure many players got it as well.

It's Pogba. COVID has nothing to do with it.

Everyone gets affected differently. A few of my friends got it and they're all fine. Meanwhile I saw a guy in clinic recently that had it two months ago and he still gets shortness of breath after a small amount of exertion and needed me to write a letter to his job explaining the situation. Just because one person didn't get affected doesn't mean someone else can't.

 

[el3mel]

This can hardly be used as an argument. Some people barely feel that they got the virus while others actually dies or gets extremely ill. And many has gotten other problems after they had Covid-19. Whatever it might be, nobody here will ever get to the bottom of this, so i don't see the value in debating it. All i know is that Pogba is not performing good enough, for whatever reasons.

It's still not COVID though. I found the argument it's the reason to be ridiculous, because what we're seeing from him about his work rate and running off the ball has been an issue since his first year. Why are people making it out like he was running his socks off every game last few years, and now he's not ?

And he was playing well last 2 weeks. Since RB match he has been doing well, did COVID stop affecting him during these 2 weeks and then kicked on again today ?

It just doesn't make sense.