Hehe. Lingard and Pereira are ‘the reason our attack works so well’. Give me strength.
Where to fit Pogba?
- Thread starter ThinkTank@Cafe
- Start date
Transfer list?
People are forgetting how awesome/instumental Pogba was in that first Ole bounce. He just needs to hit the ground running and produce the same performances when he is back.
It was the best thing to do given the options at the time. Fred wasn't ready.
He can leave if he wants to because I don't believe it is best to keep a player who wants to leave but i think he would recognize the changes Ole has brought even when he is not part of the team and I think he would acknowledge that. If Pogba is a player who wanted to come back to get us back to the top, i don't think there is any better time to do that than now. It is perfect the time to get himself back in this team and prove everyone wrong. He has 2 midfielders who are on song and will perfectly work alongside him to get the ball back. Every attack of United can go through Pogba and his decision making will only benefit us.
In spite of all this if he wants to leave, well then, you can and we can bring in a player like Fernandes who will fit the bill perfectly!
It'd be daft to meddle with the blossoming McFred partnership, which had been key to our recent success. So the only option is for Pogba to fit around those 2, most likely as the most advanced of the 3. Basically as a 10.
I don't believe Pogba is worth discussing at this point as he will leave, but if he was to sign a new contract I would be happy, I think. He is class but I still don't know where he would play and if he would even fit in this set up. It depends a lot on if he would improve his weaknesses in CM and if not could be detrimental to our whole set up if he plays in that role. The best situation if he stays if he could learn to play as a real 10, but then he'll play with his back towards the goal, he'll see less of the ball so needs to be very assured when he actually get it. I don't even think its fair to expect him to play good in that role, which means he should be playing deeper.
He'll never find the perfect team, players rarely do. They have to adapt and make sure their contribution is in line with what the team needs to perform, not act like the team don't do enough for you.
He'll never find the perfect team, players rarely do. They have to adapt and make sure their contribution is in line with what the team needs to perform, not act like the team don't do enough for you.
Pogba actually plays in a 2 with Kante.
Matuidi plays on the left of midfield. With Giroud as ST and Griezman behind him.
It wouldn't work with our set up because we have Rashford of the left.
James......Pogba......Rashford
Give Pogba freedom to roam and find space. I would like to see him make numerous runs to the wings when appropriate.
Give Pogba freedom to roam and find space. I would like to see him make numerous runs to the wings when appropriate.
We cannot hire and fire Mourinho every two weeks.
Regardless of where he plays, he doesn't offer the same amount of work-rate that alternatives provide. So in my opinion he should come straight into Lingard's. But in tight games, he has to be subbed out. For some games he might even have to start on the bench.
Ole needs to have the balls to do whatever is best for the team basically.
Ole needs to have the balls to do whatever is best for the team basically.
Weird how people say Pogba hasn't fit our systems. He's been one of our most productive players since he arrived, how does he not fit any system?
Pogba will walk into where Lingard plays now. He will play ahead of McDominate and Fred. Only thing I'm worried about is that our press is reliant on Pogba/Lingard to keep a shape. Pogba has to be positionally disciplined. I'm not sure it will be as smooth a transition into the team as people think. We could get caught out in the press or the defensive shape if Pogba isn't as energetic as Lingard has been. Ole must ensure Pogba moves his arse like the rest of the team.
The offensive upside is huge and Pogba will make an instant impact, but defensively I hope he follows the plan.
The offensive upside is huge and Pogba will make an instant impact, but defensively I hope he follows the plan.
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I can see him taking that role and making it his if nothing else than to make RM anxious to bid for him. If he comes in and plays a part for the rest of our season and helps us secure top 4 then he can leave with no hard feelings.
Neither was Pogba to play that role. We didnt have an AM to replace him either. So we had 2 people not ready instead of 1
As an 8/10 hybrid and we revert to 4-3-3 when he returns. Although I think we will sell him in the summer.
Why is everyone saying selling him to have money to buy a world class player ? We have all the money in the world 
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Keep him, at all cost. We have one of best attacking midfielders in the world and yall think we can replace him so easily
Good counterattacking games against Spurs and City and you're all over the moon. Everton will win or get a draw against us next game and everyone will pray Pogba to be back ASAP.
.Keep him, at all cost. We have one of best attacking midfielders in the world and yall think we can replace him so easily
Good counterattacking games against Spurs and City and you're all over the moon. Everton will win or get a draw against us next game and everyone will pray Pogba to be back ASAP.
I just don’t see him back in the side. I don’t think he’s head is in it anymore. I can see us recouping our money and him going to Madrid or back to Juve.
Interesting to see people saying simply buy Maddison to replace him. Sadly, if Leicester keep yo their run of form and secure CL football, I’m not sure it’d be a done deal!
Interesting to see people saying simply buy Maddison to replace him. Sadly, if Leicester keep yo their run of form and secure CL football, I’m not sure it’d be a done deal!
You have to correct these things early on here, or it just becomes a fact that he’s only played well in the spell after Ole arrived. That may we’ll have been the best he has played, but now people are acting as if anything less than that level is shite. He has regularly been our best player on the pitch, even when not scoring 2 goals a game. Even last season, he started in good form, and had excellent games in particular against Everton and Newcastle before Ole’s arrival. He then got injured for a month, and had his 3 poorest games of the season when he returned, and was dropped. That was it.
In the season before, he was again very good early in the season, and he then got injured again (if anyone recalls constant press conferences where Jose kept saying he ‘didn’t want to make excuses for our form’, and then when Pogba returned, he said ‘I can speak about it now because he is fit, but when you lose a player like that who is so important etc’) the issue is, he’s always about 3 poor games from screwing the narrative for the entire season, and that’s partly because nobody else steps up and wins us those games when he’s not been on it. Salah has had his share of dips in the last two seasons, but it hasn’t been blown into a massive issue. He comes back into form when he comes back into form, and his teammates do the job in the meantime.
Pogba has had his share of poor games, but apart from a handful of the world’s best, I think he’s been the best player on the pitch, and at least on his team, for his fair share. What makes his form after Ole came in so noticeable is that it coincided with us winning loads of games. Him playing well doesn’t count for as much when we don’t. He has had some really bad games for us, at times in quick succession, but this notion that he’s been terrible for 3 years is a joke.
As always, if anyone cares to look at the facts, I invite people to read back through the post match team and individual threads to refresh yourselves. The bad games were there, but most of them were good. Good performances (for everyone, not just Pogba) count a lot less when a team isn’t winning though. Unless you are a striker, as nobody can take your goals away from you.
He’s been voted player of the tournament in the Europa League and in PL team of the season since he’s been here. He’s been nowhere near as bad as made out. But he can’t be Keane, Xavi and Ronaldinho in one as people demand.
He has little excuse to perform now though, as most of the other jobs in midfield are actually being done by others, and the strikers are generally doing theirs. He just needs to do his now, and there will be little excuse if he doesn’t.
We had AMs, as not great as they are (Lingard, Mata, Pereira). CMs we had none.
Gotta be pushing 90+% of not just the caf but everyone in the footballing world waiting to see how he does in front of McFred.
Fred is much better as a CM than Lingard or Mata have been as an AM for us this season. Not even close
This is the problem. fans expect him to be the box to box, create chances, play as a DM, do something special on the ball, score goals and not to lose the ball?
When he plays, he makes it look so effortless passing a ball.
He walks back into the team If and when he is back fit.
It will be an absolute horrible move if Ole decides that our starting XI should be Pogba next to one of Fred or McTomminay. For how he wants us to play, those 2 have to be pretty much nailed on starters when fit and not needing rest. They provide the perfect base for what goes on in front of them, which is the front 3 staying up high. Lots of energy and desire to defend but, also both are now just looking to move the ball up the field quickly as possible, not dawdle on it.
Pogba is different when he plays deep, it he likes to take people on and often will hold on to the ball a bit longer to be that creative spark but, that often then allows for other teams to simply cut off the front 3.
Where Pogba has to fit in is in the Lingard/Perreira/Mata spot. Don't think he is necessarily a #10 but, he is can be that free midfielder in the 4-3-3 setup versus a 4-2-3-1. What it will also allow for is a lot more fluidity in the middle of the park. Right now McTomminay / Fred one of the 2 will sometimes make the forward run but, with 3 of them in midfield, Pogba can even be the player that drops deeper allowing the other 2 to get up the field but, for the most part, Pogba should be the one that getting the ball somewhere between the halfway line and the 18 yard box, let him create overloads or receive the ball and make some of those passes that only he can make.
Ability wise he is the most talented player on the squad but, for the balance of the team, my biggest question is does Pogba fit into the side when we play the likes of a Liverpool, City or other teams of that ilk. Lingard to me was crucial to the way we played against City, Perreira was also important against Liverpool. Both players were important in sitting on the deeper midfielders and making it difficult and in Lingard's case, also a good amount of pace. So do we sit a player of Pogba's quality so we can get a bit more industry out of players like Lingard / Perreira or do say the quality of Pogba and the front 3 will see us carry far more threat that we can afford to lose out on some of the work rate.
Pogba is different when he plays deep, it he likes to take people on and often will hold on to the ball a bit longer to be that creative spark but, that often then allows for other teams to simply cut off the front 3.
Where Pogba has to fit in is in the Lingard/Perreira/Mata spot. Don't think he is necessarily a #10 but, he is can be that free midfielder in the 4-3-3 setup versus a 4-2-3-1. What it will also allow for is a lot more fluidity in the middle of the park. Right now McTomminay / Fred one of the 2 will sometimes make the forward run but, with 3 of them in midfield, Pogba can even be the player that drops deeper allowing the other 2 to get up the field but, for the most part, Pogba should be the one that getting the ball somewhere between the halfway line and the 18 yard box, let him create overloads or receive the ball and make some of those passes that only he can make.
Ability wise he is the most talented player on the squad but, for the balance of the team, my biggest question is does Pogba fit into the side when we play the likes of a Liverpool, City or other teams of that ilk. Lingard to me was crucial to the way we played against City, Perreira was also important against Liverpool. Both players were important in sitting on the deeper midfielders and making it difficult and in Lingard's case, also a good amount of pace. So do we sit a player of Pogba's quality so we can get a bit more industry out of players like Lingard / Perreira or do say the quality of Pogba and the front 3 will see us carry far more threat that we can afford to lose out on some of the work rate.
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If Pogba does indeed perform as we know he can, we could suddenly turn into an incredibly dangerous team.
I also want him to start shooting more if he plays as the CAM, he has the ability to score cracking goals and we need that variety for sure, we can't expect only Rashford and Martial to be scoring all the goals.
Whichever of the two plays, plaus a selfless part of the 4 man attack. This role is similar to Firminho’s role at Liverpool But both are far inferior to Bobby. However if you can’t see the role they play in our fast, counterattacking tactic in terms of pressing and link-up play, then give me strength.
I don't want him back until he is fully fit. Then on the bench and he has to earn a recall.
If Ole wants to use him, there is only spot open imo.
Probably just the CAF and United fans to be honest.
Both of them are atrocious and they play simply because we do not have any other option. On their best day, they run and press a lot, I agree but surely that is not good enough to keep a player like pogba out of the team.
By sheer quality of upper body strength, pass quality and goal scoring ability, pogba should be back in the team as soon as he fit.
Fit Pogba into a brand spanking new Real Madrid jersey and buy some hungry midfielders.
Lingard isn’t atrocious, he’s bang average and can occasionally put the odd good performance in. Pereira is poor, and ideally he isn’t near the squad. But the overall style of play Ole is trying to implement is working. We just need to go out and buy a world class No 10 and I don’t think Pogba is that player, I think Pogba is a world class Number 8 or Number 6.
There are a lot of Ole-out people kind of leaning towards dipping a toe into Ole in. If he does something like the quoted part, they'll lose their minds.
His shooting has declined a bit tbh, it isn’t the best. I don’t think it’s a technical issue, more a mental one. Mentally, he’s not instinctively a goal scorer for me. He’s not purposeful enough in terms of trying to score. By instinct, he is a passer I think. Similar to Hazard. Some players are like that. Both he and Hazard can score goals, but they do not have the mentality of a goal scorer. Leads to them either scuffing shots and either scoring tap ins or worldies. Someone like Lampard or Alli - when they are in position, they mean it. Pogba is most comfortable passing the ball. It’s one of the reasons that I disagree with him being a selfie player. He’s a passer by nature, and maybe almost even bottles some shooting chances.If Pogba does indeed perform as we know he can, we could suddenly turn into an incredibly dangerous team.
I also want him to start shooting more if he plays as the CAM, he has the ability to score cracking goals and we need that variety for sure, we can't expect only Rashford and Martial to be scoring all the goals.
Easily the role Lingard has. With Pogba in there, I'm imagining seeing more of the kind of attacks we saw the last thirty minutes of the opening three or four games in Mourinho's second season. Except now we've got James instead of Lukaku.
And yes, I am insinuating the type of play we've seen the last two games is nothing new; the squad has been well capable of it for a while.
And yes, I am insinuating the type of play we've seen the last two games is nothing new; the squad has been well capable of it for a while.
Pogba is clearly a better player & a player we need against the teams that we can't counter attack against -
Saying that
People must not underestimate the importance of our ability to attack 424 on the counter & Lingard has been vital to that in the last 2 games.
Saying that
People must not underestimate the importance of our ability to attack 424 on the counter & Lingard has been vital to that in the last 2 games.
If our forwards continue their runs and continue showing for the ball upon Pogba’s return, then he will release them, and find them more frequently than Jesse Lingard does.
4-3-3, 4-2-3-1, whatever... I think we get too stuck on position numbers. The hybrid label is as good as any because, when we are ticking, things move so fast that those positions loose their meaning, like when Williams/Young/Shaw are up on the left and AWB is up on the right in a sort of 2-5-3 or 2-4-4 attack.
Offensively, Pogba is miles better than Lingard/Peirera/Mata. Defensively, give me Lingard every time on his intensity. That said, the Fred/McTominay combo gathering so much momentum that I really want to see Pogba ahead of them. That's when we'll start breaking down those low-level teams parking the bus and getting two-goal leads on the stronger teams.
But if Pogba really wants out, the sooner the better, for the many reasons stated previously in this thread.
give him no 10 and hopes he's doing well