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

[MadMike]

His career has been meaningfully over for a while anyways, as the guy simply can't stay fit any more. That's just the nail to it.

If he successfully appeals and reduces the ban down to a year, he might still get 2-3 seasons of low-tempo football in Saudi or such like league. So his actual career might really not be over yet, but his time playing at the highest level sure is. Neither France nor any top 5 team from the top 5 leagues will touch him again.

 

[Demyanenko_square_jaw]

dbscalcio legend. Number 1 in his position every season he was at Juventus.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

dbscalcio legend. Number 1 in his position every season he was at Juventus.

How's the 2023/24 season going for him?

 

[Demyanenko_square_jaw]

How's the 2023/24 season going for him?

I thought he retired a few years ago?

 

[Acheron]

4 years seems harsh but maybe he can get it reduced. Still think he was massively overrated and overpriced, so I'm glad he didn't play for us.

 

[SAFMUTD]

That Pogmentary looking really stupid at the moment.

 

[E-mal]

What? Ferdinand got a far harsher 10 month ban in his prime for missing a drug test. He was not a convicted drug cheat like Mutu or Pogba.

This is not my point. No precedence for a 4 year ban for drug offenses in football

 

[Plant0x84]

What a bellend

Pogbellend?

 

[Regulus Arcturus Black]

4 years makes it feel like Juve has been paying bribes again. Much cheaper to pay a big bribe than to keep an unmotivated sick note on silly wages, bet they’re delighted.

 

[Veni_Vidi_Vidic]

I imagine that we will get the news sometime soon that Juventus have sacked him.

He'll appeal and get it reduced - what then? Would the Saudis want him when his ban expires? I'm not sure.

 

[led_scholes]

I looked at stats and worked everything out a while back. He started something like 92% of games he was available for over his entire time here. Including his falling out with Jose and returns from injuries, there were very few games he wasn’t picked for.

He left at the end of his contract and we rightly didn’t offer him a new one based on his injuries and how his body was struggling to recover over his last 18 months at the club.

Another one trying to rewrite history

Didn't we offer him a contract on the same terms and found it insulting?

 

[dabronxolivera]

Dude you realize how not smart is it to buy a player that shines as box-to-box left mid in a 3man midfield for a record breaking fee of 110 or something millions and wanting him to be the deeper link in a 2man midfield and then complaining how you didn't get a return of what you paid?

It's like buying Messi for 300m and having him play as a central defender. Complaining how he doesn't score as much as he did before joining United...

The funny shit is Pogba will really work in United current setup. At least last year when Casemiro was still really good.

 

[clarkydaz]

Didn't we offer him a contract on the same terms and found it insulting?

300k a week i believe, and he said 'thats nothing'

 

[AndySmith1990]

Didn't we offer him a contract on the same terms and found it insulting?

Thank feck his ego and greed saved the club from their own stupidity that time

 

[McGrathsipan]

That Pogmentary looking really stupid at the moment.

Looked stupid at the time too. Especially the scene when he was being driven around in the black 4x4 pretending to give a bollox about homeless folk.
Arsehole.

 

[Hammondo]

Didn't we offer him a contract on the same terms and found it insulting?

Funnily enough it's him rewriting history.

 

[Bobski]

It is more and more obvious that he peaked physically very early, between 18-22, and after that he lost, due to injury andtime, some of the agility and fluidity of movement that he had. I also think that his own perception of the player he was, an attacking midfielder/Ronaldinho hybrid didn't really suit the physical profile he has, very difficult to play those attacking roles with the amount of sprints required, how often you have to take the ball on the turn, at his size and weight.

The role he played for France in their world cup win, deeper, more orthodox midfield, utilizing his exceptional passing range and vision was probably always the best fit for him, just didn't have the discipline to commit to it full time.

 

[Jeppers7]

Looked stupid at the time too. Especially the scene when he was being driven around in the black 4x4 pretending to give a bollox about homeless folk.
Arsehole.

This post is a total dick.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/paul-pogba-fund-manutd-juventus-30536369

 

[Nevilles.Wear.Prada]

Yeah, I think similar. He add all the ability to grow into the role to be the fulcrum of the team but ultimately he just seemed to want to show off is incredible talent and try to show he could do everything rather than honing it to be the most effective version of himself he could.

He had 60mil instagram followers. He needed to show them the fancy turns and individual turns. Thats why he looked good without producing anything.

 

[Jeppers7]

He had 60mil instagram followers. He needed to show them the fancy turns and individual turns. Thats why he looked good without producing anything.

Had a look at production, very strange way to describe a creative player who was far more productive and a lot more economical than any United player since he left or in the last three years…Whilst playing 3/4 of his games as either a CM or as a DM….

Pogba averaged Premier League….

Goal every 470 mins
Assists every 299 mins
G/A every 175.6 mins

He averaged a pass completion at around 85% whilst doing so and the team were more successful over those seasons than they have been since.

I mean we don’t win much anymore, we haven’t had players who have played consistently great since SAF really…But Pogba was demonstratably far far better than he’s given credit for, especially considering his production levels vs efficiency and ability to maintain possession whilst doing so.

 

[SAFMUTD]

Looked stupid at the time too. Especially the scene when he was being driven around in the black 4x4 pretending to give a bollox about homeless folk.
Arsehole.

Yeah don't miss understand me it was stupid at the time but seeing how his career played off after doing that piece or garbage it's dark comedy.

 

[redcucumber]

He was so nice to watch when he was in full flow. Unfortunately it wasn't nearly enough. Us being primarily a car crash of a club during his (second) time here definitely didn't help.

 

[RedinIndia]

It's also well established that Jose wanted Pogba and tried to sign him before too.

Jose also said he wanted to sign Renato Sanches, not sure where Kante was in his list of preference.

Jose had no problem accumulating players. Sometimes didn't know what to do with them.

 

[Eyepopper]

"I wanted to show Utd they had made a mistake, so I shot myself full of testosterone and then......"

 

[darko]

"I wanted to show Utd they had made a mistake, so I shot myself full of testosterone and then......"

 

[B20]

Still reckon he's been stitched up by juve.

 

[elmo]

Love him or hate him, 4 years is a bit excessive. It's a career ender really, even if you're in your early 20s. Crazy.

Juve probably paid for the sentence to be so harsh. Only way to rid of his contract.

 

[simonhch]

He was so nice to watch when he was in full flow. Unfortunately it wasn't nearly enough. Us being primarily a car crash of a club during his (second) time here definitely didn't help.

He wasn’t just a passenger in that wreck though, because if he didn’t have one hand on the wheel, he was certainly screaming at the driver, distracting him.

 

[ekestubbe]

Apparently he's been invited to play in Russia during his ban.

https://www.aftonbladet.se/sportbla...for-dopning-har-fatt-forfrangan-fran-ryssland

I don't know how reliable that article is since I haven't been able to find this anywhere else.

 

[ROFLUTION]

Still reckon he's been stitched up by juve.

Describe the proces. Will they:

A) have sneaked it into him without him knowing?

or

B) Will they both have agreed to doping him?

In case of A) Surely Pogba would then take legal action against Juve and make a big fuzz about it

in case of B) He's agreed to it himself and got caught. Can't really speak up, as they've both been part of it. Also Juve can just say "we have had nothing to do with it" unless he has evidence.

 

[Slevs]

especially considering his production levels vs efficiency and ability to maintain possession whilst doing so.

Yeah, he never used to regularly lose in the ball in dangerous areas resulting in opposition goals/chances/penalties.

Gotta give you credit though, you're still defending him through good times and bad (mostly bad but still)

 

[tenpoless]

Why did he dope? Is it related to his injury?
I thought Raiola was a bad influence but without him... Pogba seems to be doing worse.

 

[Cee90]

Wonder if his brother was involved in some way. I recall reports of him trying to screw Pogba over a while back?

 

[Jeppers7]

Yeah, he never used to regularly lose in the ball in dangerous areas resulting in opposition goals/chances/penalties.

Gotta give you credit though, you're still defending him through good times and bad (mostly bad but still)

It’s a weird little place Redcafe, because it seems that very few people are capable of discussion if they don’t share the same opinion…So they rush to try and discredit the poster. I think in the main posters like yourself don’t want their view to be challenged. They want things to be true because they have said it, and if someone puts a reasoned argument together that troubles them.

So my questions in response to your post, aside from the personal attack, would be…

1. Define ‘regularly’
2. Give examples to justify ‘regularly’
3. How does that compare with other midfielders over the last 5/6 years.

Back up your post, don’t make pathetic schoolground digs because someone has a different opinion.

 

[The Corinthian]

Still reckon he's been stitched up by juve.

Liverpool fans love a conspiracy theory.

 

[giorno]

It is more and more obvious that he peaked physically very early, between 18-22, and after that he lost, due to injury andtime, some of the agility and fluidity of movement that he had. I also think that his own perception of the player he was, an attacking midfielder/Ronaldinho hybrid didn't really suit the physical profile he has, very difficult to play those attacking roles with the amount of sprints required, how often you have to take the ball on the turn, at his size and weight.

The role he played for France in their world cup win, deeper, more orthodox midfield, utilizing his exceptional passing range and vision was probably always the best fit for him, just didn't have the discipline to commit to it full time.

He had a somewhat free role for France, with two other tactically disciplined midfield watercarriers around him, and France liked to play mostly in transition with Mbappé's presence either allowing them to do just that, or scaring opponents to the point of parking their defence at the edge of the box and give France - and Pogba - all the time in the world on the ball

The fact of the matter is he was very much an attacking midfielder, but as you pointed out, his body type just isn't very conducive to the kind of tight spaces an attacking midfielder will often find himself in. The biggest factor though, is that he just wasn't a particularly quick player in terms of decision making. He often needed that extra fraction of a second which - in the PL of the last 8 years - he didn't have.

Juventus in his final season often used long balls to him or Mandzukic as a way to speed up their attack and allow Pogba to stay higher up without getting bogged down in tight spaces with multiple defenders on him, and thus give him more time. He was a pretty traditional attacking mid in terms of positioning and role, just the way they went about using him accounted for his idiosyncrasies. Something he never really got at United under Mourinho. Ole actually knew what to do with him(in fact when fit he was usually pretty great for Ole afaik) but by then his body had begun breaking down

Why did he dope? Is it related to his injury?
I thought Raiola was a bad influence but without him... Pogba seems to be doing worse.

Yes, he doped to try and recover faster

 

[Slevs]

It’s a weird little place Redcafe, because it seems that very few people are capable of discussion if they don’t share the same opinion…So they rush to try and discredit the poster. I think in the main posters like yourself don’t want their view to be challenged. They want things to be true because they have said it, and if someone puts a reasoned argument together that troubles them.

So my questions in response to your post, aside from the personal attack, would be…

1. Define ‘regularly’
2. Give examples to justify ‘regularly’
3. How does that compare with other midfielders over the last 5/6 years.

Back up your post, don’t make pathetic schoolground digs because someone has a different opinion.

There's no attempt to discredit the poster in this case, you're already well known when it comes to any Pogba discussions...

Anyway, I'm not a stat man and I don't have historical data of every single Pogba mistake. I also don't use transfermarket/statman whatever to retrieve data, and I'm also not sad enough to do it just cause you've asked for it.
I just know I can use my eyes to see he was very bad retaining possession in our half of the pitch, as I remember we used to scream several times to play him further up the pitch (as an alternative after his many mistakes) where him regularly losing the ball wouldn't hurt us so much.

For the record, you haven't provided a "reasoned argument together" at all. You've stated a claim that I find categorically false.

 

[Plant0x84]

That Pogmentary looking really stupid at the moment.

It didn’t before now?

 

[Jeppers7]

There's no attempt to discredit the poster in this case, you're already well known when it comes to any Pogba discussions...

Anyway, I'm not a stat man and I don't have historical data of every single Pogba mistake. I also don't use transfermarket/statman whatever to retrieve data, and I'm also not sad enough to do it just cause you've asked for it.
I just know I can use my eyes to see he was very bad retaining possession in our half of the pitch, as I remember we used to scream several times to play him further up the pitch (as an alternative after his many mistakes) where him regularly losing the ball wouldn't hurt us so much.

For the record, you haven't provided a "reasoned argument together" at all. You've stated a claim that I find categorically false.

On what grounds do you find the reasoning ‘categorically’ false ?

Here is the reasoning :-

Pogba averaged Premier League….

Goal every 470 mins
Assists every 299 mins
G/A every 175.6 mins

He averaged a pass completion at around 85% whilst doing so…

Which reasoned against a poster who said he ‘looked good, without producing anything’

 

[AlexUTD]

He suuuure showed us!