Pogba: In a two or a three?

[Walters_19_MuFc]

I'm forever changing my mind when it comes to Pogba, and where he's at his most dangerous.

In my opinion, since he's been here, his best performances have came when playing deep in a 4231.

Based off yesterday, it seems that Jose will use Pogba how he used Fabregas at Chelsea.

So against the 'lesser' teams, play him deep in a 4231, and against the 'tougher' teams, put him further forward, either in a 433 or 4231.

My question is, where do you feel Pogba is at best?

 

[Tarrou]

I think he's better deep but I'm in favour of alternating his role. Deeper in the easier games like yesterday, most advanced in the tough games with Matic & Herrera behind him.

 

[BluesJr]

He's best when he's on the pitch with confidence. Really is as simple as that. People over complicate things with formation discussion imo. Matic gives him the security to better express himself doesn't matter where exactly he's positioned or what formation is being played. He looked like an absolute beast yesterday, feel he would have been just the same if Herrera had been on the pitch and we were playing as a 3.

 

[TheReligion]

He's better in an 11

 

[djdhrubs]

He's best when he's on the pitch with confidence. Really is as simple as that. People over complicate things with formation discussion imo. Matic gives him the security to better express himself doesn't matter where exactly he's positioned or what formation is being played. He looked like an absolute beast yesterday, feel he would have been just the same if Herrera had been on the pitch and we were playing as a 3.

This. He's a bit of a confidence player isn't he? If he feels under pressure he doesn't always perform well. Probably best left to get on with things with as little pressure on his shoulders as possible. Having Matic around will help a lot.

 

[Unmutual]

Stick Pogba in a three with a good DM behind him and he'll have lots of the ball and lots of freedom. However that doesnt neccesarily mean that its the best formation for the team as a whole.

 

[Nick7]

Both, depending on the situation.

 

[adexkola]

Let Pogba Be Pogba.

I'll start printing shirts.

 

[ice-bionic red]

Against the top sides we should play 3.

The other sides then him and Matic is enough. We get that extra attacker then

 

[Craig Ward]

Matic will help him, whether its a 2 or 3. He was good yesterday as much as West Ham were poor for me. Was good to see him playing with confidence, which as another poster alluded too is vital for Pogba.

For his talent, he shouldn't need the stability of Matic to impose on games, he should be good enough to do that anyway, but its an exciting midfield for us now, Matic was stand out yesterday, Pogba was good.

Good start to the season, hoping for more of the same from Pogba.

 

[settembrini]

He can play both. The idea that he needs to be played in a three and/or that he needs to have other specific players bought just to 'free him up' is a complete myth.

The way to get the 'best' out of Pogba is the same as it was for Scholes. Play him in a team with attacking potential and he will excel. His bad performances tend to come in big games where United as a team are too defensive.

 

[Rawls]

I feel that Pogba has a greater impact on the game in a midfield-three vis-à-vis a midfield-two at this moment in time. That's not to say he necessarily becomes a bad player when part of a midfield-two; on the contrary, yesterday's performance was very encouraging. Furthermore, he could become a very good player in a midfield-two in the future when facing high-level opposition. But right now however, I think that the only role which Pogba can perform to a world-class level against high-quality sides is as the most advanced midfielder in a midfield-three.

Quite obviously, Pogba has more freedom when he is the most advanced player in a midfield-three. This particular role, sans the responsibility of having to sit deep and protect the defence, enables Pogba to have a major impact on games by freeing him up to link-up with other players, play aggressive through-balls and also to shoot.

Any player who plays in a midfield-two has to accept the roles and responsibilities of the position. Playing deeper in a midfield-two generally requires greater tactical awareness than playing as the 'free' midfielder in a midfield-three. This usually involves being more adept at covering spaces in defence and being much less likely to constantly roam forward. There is no reason as to why Pogba can't be more tactically adept in the future and as a consequence, there is no reason as to why he can't be a very good player in a midfield-two in the future. Right now however, I think that Pogba just doesn't have that tactical awareness that's needed to be highly effective in a deeper role against top-quality opposition. As success in the 'free' role in a midfield-three isn't as predicated on tactical awareness, it makes sense that Pogba is right now a more effective player there than he would be in a midfield-two.

There's also the issue that for as good a midfielder as Pogba may become in that deeper role, he might always be more effective in the more advanced 'free' role. It could happen that his ceiling as a player in a midfield-two may be as a very good midfielder, whereas his ceiling as the most advanced player in a midfield-three may be as a world-class midfielder. Now, this is an entirely hypothetical situation but at the top level, is the opportunity cost of playing Pogba in a less effective role too great for United to endure? I think that's the most important question when it comes to deciding as to where Pogba should play on the field for this club.

 

[pseudo_canadian]

Depends. Against weaker teams, like we saw yesterday, I think we'll see him playing from a deeper position in a two with Matic.

When we play stronger teams I suspect Jose will play a three, with Herrera and Matic providing cover in behind him simply to have more bodies centrally to avoid getting overrun.

Still early days, though. We can't say for sure yet what Jose has in mind for Pogba, Matic, and Herrera from a game to game basis.

 

[Revan]

Matches when we are expected to dominate, in a two with Matic.

More difficult matches: as the left midfielder in a three (Herrera being in the right side), similar to his position at Juve.

 

[DomesticTadpole]

In a two against weak or open sides. Against the top sides it has to be a three otherwise Pogba will have to do defensive duties which will negate his effectiveness. So it depends who we are playing. WHU are woeful at the moment.

 

[DannyCAFC]

This. He's a bit of a confidence player isn't he? If he feels under pressure he doesn't always perform well. Probably best left to get on with things with as little pressure on his shoulders as possible. Having Matic around will help a lot.

I always feel like in some of the bigger/more difficult games when United are on the backfoot more than usual and he senses this, he tries to do too much rather than letting his natural game flow.

 

[lawliet354]

As long as he is with someone with player who provide cover he will shine, just like yesterday, he know Matic will cover for him so he's roaming everywhere on the pitch and doing excellent play, when he is paired with Fellaini I think he feels he must done everything by himself which result in pressure and bad decision

And I think he plays better when the left back is Blind, when the left back is capable of doing link up play it helps the midfield and winger immensely

 

[Zlatattack]

2 in the easy games, 3 in the harder games. In the easier games we don't need as much attacking cover as Matic can cover. When we expect to be playing top teams and don't want to get exposed, play him with 2 others so that he can focus on the distribution/defending rather than just be dumped with defending.

 

[Devil may care]

I think he still needs to work on his discipline in a 3, it's the formation that gets the most out of his skillset but when he has the extra body in there he forgets to do some of the basics, thinking he has to try and make something happen every time the ball comes to him, where he measures his game more in a 2.

 

[NotQuiteManc]

Let Pogba Be Pogba.

I'll start printing shirts.

To Pog Or Not To Pog...

 

[SirAF]

2 in the easy games, 3 in the harder games. In the easier games we don't need as much attacking cover as Matic can cover. When we expect to be playing top teams and don't want to get exposed, play him with 2 others so that he can focus on the distribution/defending rather than just be dumped with defending.

This.

 

[Sandikan]

When the second in the two is Matic, another player who can run with it if needed, whilst still being able to pass, hold it under pressure, hold and is strong defensive, it works really well indeed.

A two with any other player we have, even Herrera hasn't worked anywhere near as well.

But then yesterday was a sensational display. And I don't even care it was "only" West Ham, as it was "Only" some pretty poor teams just last season where we couldn't win

 

[2 man midfield]

Left of a 3.

He was excellent yesterday in what in my opinion isn't even his best position. Wait until he's got Herrera alongside him and Matic behind him.

 

[JJ12]

Like most have said I'd play him in a 2 against lesser teams as he can still get forward with Matic holding.

Against top 6 teams or teams who like to play possession football is play him on the left of a midfield 3.

In all likelihood as long as he's confident he's going to dominate.

 

[Adam-Utd]

2 all day long. He's the best there compared to what we've seen of him in a 3.

 

[jetlee]

I think he shoul play mainly in a two, but if he is playing as part of a midfield three in the biggest games than he never should be the most advanced midfielder because it usually tends to generate a shit performance from him.
I know that the caf football experts have decided a long time ago that this is his best position but all evidence points to the contrary.
I think he should always play as an 8 and never have 2 players beside him in the middle whose main task is defending.

 

[MyOnlySolskjaer]

In a 2 providing, he has the right partner - Matic.

He offers more to us when in a combative role in a two than he does when he's higher up. I see him using his strength more nowadays, he has the ability to drive and play a match winning pass from deep.

 

[RDCR07]

At home against weaker opposition he can play the 2. Away and against tougher opposition play in a 3.

 

[GM K]

I'm forever changing my mind when it comes to Pogba, and where he's at his most dangerous.

In my opinion, since he's been here, his best performances have came when playing deep in a 4231.

Based off yesterday, it seems that Jose will use Pogba how he used Fabregas at Chelsea.

So against the 'lesser' teams, play him deep in a 4231, and against the 'tougher' teams, put him further forward, either in a 433 or 4231.

My question is, where do you feel Pogba is at best?

Pogna is a freak. A very rare type of footballer mainly because of his versatility. He combines creativity and physicality like no other player I have seen.

Because of this, he can comfortably be played in different areas of the midfield but I think the closer he is to the opposition box, the more dangerous he is primarily because of his temperament.

 

[Edgar Allan Pillow]

I would not trust either Pogba or Matic in a 2 man midfield.

 

[iam_kramer]

I was surprised how well the two, with Matic and Pogba, worked against West Ham, I have always had my misgivings about it since enduring it early last season. That being said, it worked really well yesterday and we should pursue it because the attacking football was excellent to watch.

Against the bigger teams I guess we'll see Herrera come in and we'll play a three with Pogba driving forward. I'm not a huge fan of playing Pogba as a number ten, I haven't been impressed by his work back to goal; he's much better striding forward onto the ball with his head up.

We've got considerably more flexibility now in midfield than last season, last season a two didn't seem to work at all, whichever combination we put out there. This time around it looks like our midfield is much healthier and we can comfortably play two distinct setups.

 

[TwoSheds]

Deep. He's a rubbish no.10 and a great box to box midfielder.

 

[TehRed]

He's best used in a three where he has the defensive cover behind him to press forward and join in attacks, but he's also good at initiating attacks from deeper in a two. He'll likely be used in both roles as the season goes on, in a three in the tougher games where we want to press more and control the midfield, and in a two where we expect to dominate the ball and want more attackers on the pitch. He's got the attributes to perform either role.

 

[TimScoreboard]

Paul should now be getting to a stage in his career when he can dominate games in any system. The super cup apart, I think there has been more responsibility and positional understanding in Paul's game through pre-season and yesterday I thought he was excellent, particularly in the 2nd half

 

[Abdou0230]

He is better when he is playing it simple and passing the ball rather than trying to do useless feints all the time.

 

[Z_Wolf]

He plays better when the tactics are positive and we're not bypassing midfield.

Positional discipline and tactical awareness are not his greatest strengths so I wouldn't trust him in midfield 2 against the stronger teams but against the likes of Westham he can play there.

 

[RU Devil]

As noted, we'll probably go with 3 vs tougher teams. With 2, Pogba has more room since the opposing team will be dropping back, plus he has more options since there will be an extra attack minded player in front of him. If the 3 in front of him are ineffective, he'll be ineffective, but yesterday, Rash, Mkhi, and Mata were buzzing. He also showed good defensive work and in a 2, he'd be very dangerous on the break with the extra space.

 

[Inebriated bison]

I would not trust either Pogba or Matic in a 2 man midfield.

You saw the game yesterday, right?

They bossed the game in a 2 man midfield.

 

[Kidders]

I actually thought that we played a 4-1-4-1 at times on Sunday, Pogba clearly started as a two but joined in with Mata/Mhiki/Rashford as a 'pivot' in a rotating 4 man midfield.
As Matic has started so well as the sitting mid, I think to some extent the opposition will determine our formation and line up, Pogba has the skill set and discipline to play anywhere around the central areas, one thing is for sure is that he WILL play, whatever the opposition.

 

[GrandJury]

Against lower opposition where we will be heavily on the front foot in a 2.

In big games we need a 3 man midfield.