Pogba suspended for alleged anti-doping offence | Banned for 4 years

flameinthesun

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You can question Pogba's mentality in terms of his time at United and return to Juventus, but are there actually users questioning his talent? The guy on form is a great great player. The way some people talk about him you'd think they were talking about Adel Taarabt.
 

MrWilliams

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Purely because of his world cup win, take that out and it's very average.

Hell, Giroud has a better career.
Disagree. 4x Italian Champ plus a Europa League. That is far from an “average” career. That is a successful career just on balance.

Also, you can’t say “take out his WC win”. That’s the highest honor in football.

For many, 1 WC win >>>>> every other trophy

Pogba’s career was short of expectation based on his talent but it does not mean it was average.

Che Adams is someone I’d say has had an “average” career.
 

Canagel

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It depends on the amounts we are talikng about it's always possible it's a tainted supplement or whatever but, it's also highly probable that he did just cheat.

Drug testing in most of a football is a joke compared to some sports and it's basically an idiot test in terms of those standards and there's ALOT more money involved.

It's a bit weird that every time he's injured he jets off to Dubai or the States where it's harder to continually test, alot of players do this, it's always suspect as hell.
Of course but I dont agree that it is highly probable that he cheated. That is a assumption with no proof.

One Italian doctor was saying testosterone doesnt even benefit footballers like that. Its used more by bodybuilders. The potential upside of it is very low compared to the risks of getting caught. Gazetta are also saying today that if he proves the take was involuntary the ban will become 3 months only and not 4 years.
 

Murder on Zidane's Floor

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Disagree. 4x Italian Champ plus a Europa League. That is far from an “average” career. That is a successful career just on balance.

Also, you can’t say “take out his WC win”. That’s the highest honor in football.

For many, 1 WC win >>>>> every other trophy

Pogba’s career was short of expectation based on his talent but it does not mean it was average.

Che Adams is someone I’d say has had an “average” career.
Highest honour in football that Mandanda and Nzonzi have won.

Giroud has won four FA cups, Champions League, Europa League, Ligue 1, Serie A, World Cup.

Yet no one talks about Giroud in the same way
 

Murder on Zidane's Floor

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You can question Pogba's mentality in terms of his time at United and return to Juventus, but are there actually users questioning his talent? The guy on form is a great great player. The way some people talk about him you'd think they were talking about Adel Taarabt.
Absolute baller. Still doing bits in DMC for Benfica.
 

NinjaZombie

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Nah, he was decent in a certain system. Lacked the basics, lost the ball far too much for any midfielder, had very little pace, dribbling was quite average, couldn't play in tight areas consistently, also wasn't as strong as people made out. Another player who was suited to the football played 20 years ago.

Could ping a pass and make an assist, occasional long shot but that was it.
A few months before there were ever rumours of us getting Pogba back, I remember remarking to a friend that he wasn't a traditional centre midfielder and wouldn't be the answer to our cm problem (I think we were in the midst of seeing Schneiderlin and Schweinsteiger flop, along with seeing the likes of Rooney and Fellaini playing in midfield). He just doesn't do a lot of the things centre midfielders should do, and does a lot of things centre midfielders shouldn't do.
 

Canagel

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You can question Pogba's mentality in terms of his time at United and return to Juventus, but are there actually users questioning his talent? The guy on form is a great great player. The way some people talk about him you'd think they were talking about Adel Taarabt.
The amount of young players that idolize him in the game is countless.

There is a reason he has 60m followers on Instagram and has generated attention for a decade. He is an icon with a unique playstyle that resonates with people in the game, be it supporters ( the fanfare surrounding his return to Juventus is proof) or fellow players.

Of course he could have had a better career without injuries and better choices but it doesnt take away from his achievments. People that deny his impact and compare him to failed players with no legacy are just in denial.
 

horsechoker

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You can question Pogba's mentality in terms of his time at United and return to Juventus, but are there actually users questioning his talent? The guy on form is a great great player. The way some people talk about him you'd think they were talking about Adel Taarabt.
Yeah his top level was world class, it's just a shame we only saw it every once in a while.

The man can ball, the streets won't forget
 

Plant0x84

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Pogba’s career was short of expectation based on his talent but it does not mean it was average.
I’d say by definition it does mean exactly that. Surely it is measured against his talent and the expectation of where that talent will lead the player. You wouldn’t expect a player of Che Adams quality to have a career trajectory the same as Pogba.
Pogba had the world at his feet, he should have been a legend of the game but instead his career has petered out in a myre of injury, controversy and now potentially cheating. It will be a sad end if this is it. Based on his talent and potential Pogba has had a decidedly average career.
 

iHicksy

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You can question Pogba's mentality in terms of his time at United and return to Juventus, but are there actually users questioning his talent? The guy on form is a great great player. The way some people talk about him you'd think they were talking about Adel Taarabt.
I mean i get your point but that's probably the worst example you could have used since on his day Taarabt was immensely talented too.
 

flameinthesun

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I mean i get your point but that's probably the worst example you could have used since on his day Taarabt was immensely talented too.
Its a great example because both are great talents, except 1 had the "mentality" and overall quality to win a world cup and league titles in great teams. Even looking at Pogba's time at united from a talent and performance perspective, he'd be far from the first few names to raise when talking about underperforming/undertalented. This guy played in teams with Dan James, Lingard, Ighalo, Maguire, Mct, Fred....
 

MrWilliams

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Highest honour in football that Mandanda and Nzonzi have won.

Giroud has won four FA cups, Champions League, Europa League, Ligue 1, Serie A, World Cup.

Yet no one talks about Giroud in the same way
Giroud has had an amazing career, no doubt about it. And let’s not act like Pogba didn’t play a critical role in France’s WC win. For goodness sake mans scored in the final. He wasn’t a passenger.

Pogba had a successful career

I’d say by definition it does mean exactly that. Surely it is measured against his talent and the expectation of where that talent will lead the player. You wouldn’t expect a player of Che Adams quality to have a career trajectory the same as Pogba.
Pogba had the world at his feet, he should have been a legend of the game but instead his career has petered out in a myre of injury, controversy and now potentially cheating. It will be a sad end if this is it. Based on his talent and potential Pogba has had a decidedly average career.
There is a subjective career in terms of ability (you can say average) then there is the objective career in terms of caliber of teams played for and titles won (far from average).

I can agree that based on ability his career should have been more illustrious. But 4 Scudetti, a WC and an EL, objectively, is far from an average career.
 

Canagel

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Highest honour in football that Mandanda and Nzonzi have won.

Giroud has won four FA cups, Champions League, Europa League, Ligue 1, Serie A, World Cup.

Yet no one talks about Giroud in the same way
They dont talk about Giroud in the same way because he wasnt integral to all those trophies. You still get the medal whether you play or watch from the bench so if you are in the right team you can accumulate medals without much contributions.

Pogba has been instremental in every trophy he has won. Serie A Best XI 3 times in a row and top assister in his final season during his first spell at Juventus. Player of the tournament when we won the EL. One of the driving forces behind the WC and nations league successes. Every time he won something he was at least a top 3 player in that run or or the best player, comparing his trophies to Giroud or Nzonzi is wild and shows a serious lack of football knowledge on your behalf.
 

VP89

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Disagree. 4x Italian Champ plus a Europa League. That is far from an “average” career. That is a successful career just on balance.

Also, you can’t say “take out his WC win”. That’s the highest honor in football.

For many, 1 WC win >>>>> every other trophy

Pogba’s career was short of expectation based on his talent but it does not mean it was average.

Che Adams is someone I’d say has had an “average” career.
He was part of a Juve side that walked the league by almost 20 points each season. Serie A wasn't competitive then. He's probably one of the most overrated footballers I've seen. Hyped up by his own brand and I'm astonished by the amount of suckers who blindly fell into it.

WC was great and all but ultimately its 4 good games out of 7 or 8. Anyone can have good form but consistency is something he was never able to display. Along with a shit arse attitude that I dont care for. And now he has been doping too, so yeah, I'm pretty confident my views about him being a bad buy were right at the time.
 

Canagel

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He was part of a Juve side that walked the league by almost 20 points each season. Serie A wasn't competitive then. He's probably one of the most overrated footballers I've seen. Hyped up by his own brand and I'm astonished by the amount of suckers who blindly fell into it.

WC was great and all but ultimately its 4 good games out of 7 or 8. Anyone can have good form but consistency is something he was never able to display. Along with a shit arse attitude that I dont care for. And now he has been doping too, so yeah, I'm pretty confident my views about him being a bad buy were right at the time.
You ignore that he was one of the reasons they walked the league by 20 points.

And there is actually some history that refutes your point. Juventus started the 2015/16 season (Pogba's last) terribly and were close to the drop zone but a mid season formation switch changed the situation with Pogba being the forefront of the title charge. They went on a long winning run and eventually overhauled Napoli but you wouldnt mention that because it doesnt fit your narrative. No Pirlo or Vidal to "carry" him too. Denying his impact during his first spell is just silly, if there was no competition he helped render the competition non exisent.
 

90 + 5min

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An average player doesn't accomplish some of the things he did. Specially at international level
What things on international level? Everybody can be international now so playing in national team don't mean anything anymore. In terms of quality. This guy played one good or maximum two seasons through his whole career. I would call that pretty average.
 

Murder on Zidane's Floor

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Giroud has had an amazing career, no doubt about it. And let’s not act like Pogba didn’t play a critical role in France’s WC win. For goodness sake mans scored in the final. He wasn’t a passenger.

Pogba had a successful career



There is a subjective career in terms of ability (you can say average) then there is the objective career in terms of caliber of teams played for and titles won (far from average).

I can agree that based on ability his career should have been more illustrious. But 4 Scudetti, a WC and an EL, objectively, is far from an average career.
Critical role is overblown.
 

Murder on Zidane's Floor

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They dont talk about Giroud in the same way because he wasnt integral to all those trophies. You still get the medal whether you play or watch from the bench so if you are in the right team you can accumulate medals without much contributions.

Pogba has been instremental in every trophy he has won. Serie A Best XI 3 times in a row and top assister in his final season during his first spell at Juventus. Player of the tournament when we won the EL. One of the driving forces behind the WC and nations league successes. Every time he won something he was at least a top 3 player in that run or or the best player, comparing his trophies to Giroud or Nzonzi is wild and shows a serious lack of football knowledge on your behalf.
Giroud scored in the Europa League final, he opened the scoring :lol:

On 29 May, he scored in Chelsea's 4–1 win over his former club Arsenal in the Europa League final; during the match, he also set-up Hazard's second goal.

Giroud scored twice against Everton in the FA Cup quarter-final, helping Arsenal to a 4–1 win.[118] On 12 April, Giroud scored one of the penalties in the shootout against Wigan Athletic to send Arsenal to the final of the FA Cup at Wembley Stadium.[119] On 17 May, Giroud started in the 2014 FA Cup Final as Arsenal beat Hull City 3–2 at Wembley Stadium and assisted Aaron Ramsey's cup-winning goal.[120]

During the 2017 FA Cup Final against Chelsea at Wembley, Giroud came on in the 78th minute with the score 1–1, and a minute later he delivered an assist for Aaron Ramsey to score the winning goal which saw Arsenal lift the Cup for a record-breaking thirteenth time

Giroud opened the scoring in the 2020 FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United.

On 6 March in Stadio Diego Maradona, although suffering from a deep cut in his left shin, Giroud scored the only goal in an away win against Napoli, helping his team to climb to the top of Serie A table.[193][194] It was Giroud 11th goal this season in all competitions (in 27 appearances), equalling his total tally from the whole of last season for Chelsea (31 matches).[195] On 19 March, he provided his 4th assist this season, setting up Bennacer goal against Cagliari in a 1–0 win.[196]

On 24 April, in Stadio Olimpico, he scored the equalizer against Lazio, helping his team to achieve a 2–1 comeback.[197] On 22 May, he scored a brace in a 3–0 away win over Sassuolo, to secure the 2021–22 Serie A title for AC Milan.[198]

Yeah, the guy never was integral to trophies and medals won AND I'm the one who lacks football knowledge.
 

Murder on Zidane's Floor

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Matuidi had an amazing career for club and country. Far from an average player like all the others u listed
Yet they too won world cups. Pogba got by and fluked four Serie A titles by playing for the most dominant team that won like ten on the bounce and he had two really great midfielders next to him. Besides from a few bangers, most Juventus fans weren't obsessed with him. We were solely because we were not used to losing talented youth players and were screaming out for a CM. This culminates in a narrative that Pogba was better than he actually ever was.
 

Nedved

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He was part of a Juve side that walked the league by almost 20 points each season. Serie A wasn't competitive then. He's probably one of the most overrated footballers I've seen. Hyped up by his own brand and I'm astonished by the amount of suckers who blindly fell into it.

WC was great and all but ultimately its 4 good games out of 7 or 8. Anyone can have good form but consistency is something he was never able to display. Along with a shit arse attitude that I dont care for. And now he has been doping too, so yeah, I'm pretty confident my views about him being a bad buy were right at the time.
You are just making up things. Pogba, even as a teenager, was an integral factor behind Juve's return from being a 7th placed side (x2) to a regular Italian champion - often by single point margins - and CL finalist. He was exceptional and did not look out of place next to two of the best midfielders in the world then: Pirlo and prime Vidal.
 

VP89

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You are just making up things. Pogba, even as a teenager, was an integral factor behind Juve's return from being a 7th placed side (x2) to a regular Italian champion - often by single point margins - and CL finalist. He was exceptional and did not look out of place next to two of the best midfielders in the world then: Pirlo and prime Vidal.
Which seasons are you referring to?
 

Someone

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It could be a 4 year suspension for him if found guilty. A career ender for sure.

Man did everything go downhill for him since leaving.
 

andy0

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The BBC gossip page points to a Gazzetta dello Sport article

https://www.gazzetta.it/Calcio/Seri...a-di-un-integratore-comprato-in-america.shtml

I'm not going to do a whole Google Translate copy and paste; you can do that yourself if you like

It is suggesting that it's due to a supplement recommended by a doctor friend, and bought in America, where there are different rules related to doping. So outside the control of Juventus. Pogba has told the club he hasn't taken something they didn't recommend. If he can prove no deliberate intent he'd just be deemed careless and get a smaller ban. His mistake could lead to a 3 month or 4 year ban. This could be grounds to terminate the player's contract.

I haven't reread this carefully enough to establish to what degree that is an allegation, still being argued over, or accepted. Still option for lawyer to request a duplicate test from the same sample though, I think
 
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kouroux

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Yet they too won world cups. Pogba got by and fluked four Serie A titles by playing for the most dominant team that won like ten on the bounce and he had two really great midfielders next to him. Besides from a few bangers, most Juventus fans weren't obsessed with him. We were solely because we were not used to losing talented youth players and were screaming out for a CM. This culminates in a narrative that Pogba was better than he actually ever was.
He was an integral part of that team. You don't consistently start by fluke for one of the best midfields of Europe at the time. The history revisionism you've been doing is absolutely mad.
In every big trophy, there will be average players also adding to their cabinet. It's not just about the trophies, it's about the role played in them. Pogba played a big role (on and off the pitch) in 2018 for France and played a good role in many of the trophies won by Juventus.
If that's the description of an average player then just quit watching football.
 

kouroux

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What things on international level? Everybody can be international now so playing in national team don't mean anything anymore. In terms of quality. This guy played one good or maximum two seasons through his whole career. I would call that pretty average.
Did you miss out on 2018 ? Was the telly not working ? Just because Pogba has been a generally disappointing player for Utd, doesn't mean the rest of his career was the same. His first season for Utd was good and add to that the trophies he played a part in Italy, that's more than "one good or maximum two seasons".
 

downunder red

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Disagree. 4x Italian Champ plus a Europa League. That is far from an “average” career. That is a successful career just on balance.

Also, you can’t say “take out his WC win”. That’s the highest honor in football.

For many, 1 WC win >>>>> every other trophy

Pogba’s career was short of expectation based on his talent but it does not mean it was average.

Che Adams is someone I’d say has had an “average” career.
I thought the Bangkok Century Cup was the biggest cup ????
 

Nevilles.Wear.Prada

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What performance he ever did in the last few years that warrants a test? Waste of that test kit. There are uncles in retirement covered more ground on sundays compared to this dude ffs
 

Murder on Zidane's Floor

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He was an integral part of that team. You don't consistently start by fluke for one of the best midfields of Europe at the time. The history revisionism you've been doing is absolutely mad.
In every big trophy, there will be average players also adding to their cabinet. It's not just about the trophies, it's about the role played in them. Pogba played a big role (on and off the pitch) in 2018 for France and played a good role in many of the trophies won by Juventus.
If that's the description of an average player then just quit watching football.
Yes, the revisionism is huge, as in mostly overblown his impact because "otherwise why would we buy him for £80m".

Edit: this off-the-pitch stuff ref the World Cup "speech" is so overblown, people treat it like he's Al Pacino in Any Given Sunday and these plucky minnows of France were able to defy the odds. Most of the players look disinterested and I'd even go so far as to posit he wouldn't have made such a speech, in the manner he did, if there wasn't a camera there - it's brand brand brand with him and suckers lap it up.