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2016-17 Performances


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6.3 Season Average Rating
Appearances
51
Goals
9
Assists
6
Yellow cards
10
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When he has an off day he loses his head. Wants to do all by himself, wants to prove he's good, tries too much and it gets worse and it goes in circles then. Over complicates basic things, dilly dallies on the ball when he should just make a first time pass or tries to dribble when he really doesnt have to.

He just needs to keep it simple and be calm.
Sounds like S##vie G?
 
Luxury player.
It was only a matter of time until that term would pop up in this thread. Sums up a lot in one catchphrase.

It's genuinely baffling how many people actually think he's a donkey, a burden to the team or whatever. If Pogba really would bugger off to another club as some here seem to secretly wish, these fans are likely to have their own Kroos moment. Won't happen of course, because I'm sure the club knows what they have in him.
 
He will forever split opinion. And usually that's fine, that's part of being a fan but when the opinion is clouded by such things as haircuts and dance moves it gets stupid.

Take away the whole circus that comes with Pogba and look on the whole what he brings on the pitch and will bring on the pitch in the future. He has been one of the best CM's this season in the Premier league. When you size it up against fan expectation, then yes, he has been below par but actually just considering what his two legs are doing on the pitch, I wouldn't want any other central midfielder over him at United.
 
He will forever split opinion. And usually that's fine, that's part of being a fan but when the opinion is clouded by such things as haircuts and dance moves it gets stupid.

Take away the whole circus that comes with Pogba and look on the whole what he brings on the pitch and will bring on the pitch in the future. He has been one of the best CM's this season in the Premier league. When you size it up against fan expectation, then yes, he has been below par but actually just considering what his two legs are doing on the pitch, I wouldn't want any other central midfielder over him at United.

No offence mate but I think you're looking at that with red tinted specs. No way has he been one of the best CM's in the league. He hasn't even been the best CM at United.

He's obviously a class player but he really needs to do more. As things stand he's a Youtube compilation kind of player. He'll do something every so often that's flashy and gets people talking but for the rest of the match he's non-existent. For his supposed ability (of which we've only ever seen in flashes which is my biggest gripe with him) as well as his reputation and price tag he really needs to do more. A lot more. He should be dominating games at both ends of the pitch. And the annoying thing is there's no reason why he shouldn't already be doing that. He's got the technical ability and he has the physicality to cope. He needs to get his finger out and properly kick on.
 
No offence mate but I think you're looking at that with red tinted specs. No way has he been one of the best CM's in the league. He hasn't even been the best CM at United.

He's obviously a class player but he really needs to do more. As things stand he's a Youtube compilation kind of player. He'll do something every so often that's flashy and gets people talking but for the rest of the match he's non-existent. For his supposed ability (of which we've only ever seen in flashes which is my biggest gripe with him) as well as his reputation and price tag he really needs to do more. A lot more. He should be dominating games at both ends of the pitch. And the annoying thing is there's no reason why he shouldn't already be doing that. He's got the technical ability and he has the physicality to cope. He needs to get his finger out and properly kick on.
I'm sorry and I don't mean to question your knowledge as an opinion is an opinion. But those who have played the game at a high level appreciate just how good Pogba has been. Of course, he hasn't been as consistent as we would have liked or expect and especially in the bigger games, there is no arguing that. However, as a player, what he has been able to bring to our midfield and the problems he gives opposition players is invaluable.

Again, I agree he has to do more but this is a young player, in a new league who has been very good this season. Besides probably Kante, completely different role though, what other central midfielder would you prefer over Pogba this season? Not when sizing up performances to expectations but just the actual on pitch contribution.

People see the mistakes, like misplaced passes, poor shots etc because that's what people look at, what's happening there and then but not why things are happening and he has brought so much more and a lot of his positive work gets overlooked because we naturally want more from him but I feel he has been very good this season when you take the circus away.
 
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No offence mate but I think you're looking at that with red tinted specs. No way has he been one of the best CM's in the league. He hasn't even been the best CM at United.

He's obviously a class player but he really needs to do more. As things stand he's a Youtube compilation kind of player. He'll do something every so often that's flashy and gets people talking but for the rest of the match he's non-existent. For his supposed ability (of which we've only ever seen in flashes which is my biggest gripe with him) as well as his reputation and price tag he really needs to do more. A lot more. He should be dominating games at both ends of the pitch. And the annoying thing is there's no reason why he shouldn't already be doing that. He's got the technical ability and he has the physicality to cope. He needs to get his finger out and properly kick on.

A lot of correct stuff, except for the bolded bit. His stats for key passes and creativity are probably the highest of any CM around. It's not just flashy stuff he does once in a while, he does it virtually every game. He is never anonymous.

Take yesterday as another prime example. He had a shit game. Still, he played Wayne Rooney clean through with a Hollywood over the top pass, which Rooney missed. He dribbled two players and won a free-kick at the edge of the box that we wasted. He won a penalty, that we wasted. He forced 2 great saves from the keeper, one with his run from midfield and another with a great shot from outside the box. He even missed with a free shot at end.

He does that shit, week in, week out. These are his bad games. Tell me how many CMs do that in the league, at that level of consistency?

Yes he can be doing better. Yes he unnecessarily dribbles or hoofs the ball at times. Yes he seems immature. But his creative game is not just one highlight per game, it's many. He gets involved in the creative side of the game like no other CM, and he's good at it.
 
Sorry, I reckon you're the one that is absolutely clueless. One of United's main issues (as has been well documented) in recent times has been our ineffectual movement on and off the ball. It's the reason why Mhki has been so integral to our play. As good as Martial can be, too often he is static when he should be looking to get in behind. Pogba has flattered to deceive too often this season, but his performances don't exist in a vacuum. If you think we are currently a free flowing team you are deluded. We are moving towards that, but are some way off.

Completely missing the point. First of all I have said that we are not a free flowing team, some reading comprehension would be nice. Secondly, our front four have licence to roam, the wingers come inside, Zlatan drops deep, 10 and wingers interchange positions. It is not Mourinho's fault that Martial's movement is poor, he can help him inprove it but it takes time. The original point I was disagreeing with is that Pogba looks bad because of a very structured system, which simply is not the case at all. The problem is players playing poorly in a good system, not the system itself.
 
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@Orc is spot on actually. We were like statues yesterday, just like we were at the start of the season when Rooney was playing every game. Pogba's biggest problem is that Miki is the only one who makes runs without the ball (looking at Martial here) to stretch defences. With him missing there is no movement ahead of Pogba whatsoever.

Do you think before every game Mou tells the players "ok lads, today I want you NOT to make any runs, under no circumstances get into dangerous positions" ? If you think Pogba would look better playing with better players I agree with you, however if you blame Jose for our poor off the ball movement then you are simply wrong. I think we will see and improvement in this after the next pre-season when Mou will have some time to work on this instead of constantly preparing for a next game.
 
I think he'd do well to go back to the fundamentals of midfield - pass and move, pass and move. Be creative and clever, but do it quickly.
 
Do you think before every game Mou tells the players "ok lads, today I want you NOT to make any runs, under no circumstances get into dangerous positions" ? If you think Pogba would look better playing with better players I agree with you, however if you blame Jose for our poor off the ball movement then you are simply wrong. I think we will see and improvement in this after the next pre-season when Mou will have some time to work on this instead of constantly preparing for a next game.

Mourinho is the one who picks the team. He knows who makes those runs and who doesnt, so it's on him when he picks a team full of statues.
 
Getting killed by Lampard & Carragher on MNF. Claim he still doesn't know his best position & role on the pitch.
 
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Getting killed by Lampard & Carragher on MNF.
Hardly. They just criticised him for playing a wonderful ball from one wing to another which started off an attack :confused: And then when on to say he's not good defensively and he's better going forward. Hardly ground breaking analysis, is it?
 
Getting killed by Lampard & Carragher on MNF. Claim he still doesn't know his best position & role on the pitch.

Not really. Lampard is highlighting what he's good at and what he's not.

Tracking runners is not one of them.
 
Well if he's not going to track his runners he may play somewhere else. Don't think it's groundbreaking though - every man in the street is becoming aware of his laziness.
 
Getting killed by Lampard & Carragher on MNF. Claim he still doesn't know his best position & role on the pitch.

Killed is a bit of a stretch pointing out sometimes he is overzealous going forward instead of making sure we are safe from a break is not horrendous, its a well known albeit occasional weakness. If anything they are just trying to work out his best position, good luck with that as we still haven't, Lampard has pointed out he has everything in his locker and his technique being great on the other side of it.
 
Getting killed by Lampard & Carragher on MNF. Claim he still doesn't know his best position & role on the pitch.
I don't see that as Pogba's issue. It's clearly what Jose is asking of him.

This idea of a number 10, ATM it's an issue because we only have 1 real goalscorer. When/if we get goals from the wide areas, real sources of goals, then Pogba can shine as the 3rd midfielder. He isn't a goal scorer, and judging his goals is a mistake. Stick Pogba infront of Essien and Makelele or Alonso and Mascherano and give him every FK and pen and he'll get into the high teens imo.

It's been made before, Gerrard is a good comparison for Pogba imo. Capable of the spectacular but not a guy who can truly dictate a game from deep like a Scholes or Pirlo. That isn't a criticism. He's a different type of midfielder.

Then the next criticism will be Pogba needs quality around him to shine. Well yes, he does. As do most, if not all, top players. He can look good individually but to be great, he needs players who complement him. Just like Messi needs that Pedro type player and Ronaldo needs a Benzema.
 
Getting killed by Lampard & Carragher on MNF. Claim he still doesn't know his best position & role on the pitch.
Lampard even said that they weren't trying to criticise him. Am sure Mourinho knows what he wants front Pogba. Getting killed indeed.
 
Really unsure which players could improve Pogba currently.

Take a 4-3-3, which base of the triangle footballer can enable Pogba to dominate that LCAM position?
 
It really annoys me that whenever we have a bad result he's the first name that is brought up because of his price tag.

We drew against Bournemouth because of Jones and Zlatan. Pogba missed chances sure but he was also one of the main people doing something, trying to win the game. I can't criticise him for that. Eventually things will click better for him.
 
So, this £90m. How much of it was for the player, and how much was for the brand?

45:45? 30:60?
 
A case of perception... Let you for a moment think that he isn't world record buying but instead we have him and he came out of our academy like he suppose to do. In that case, there would be no calls like this in the thread and everybody would focus only on his talent which is obvious. We would be happy as hell to have him and think of him like the best young midfielder in the world. Not only that, this thread would be full of people who would lose their shit ever time he scores or have a good game that Real Madrid is around the corner.

Yeah, he cost too much, but when I think of Di Maria, his price tag, attitude and everything I am willing to close my eyes sometimes. He wants to lead the line, he wants to be here. Modric in his first season at Spurs was playing mostly on the wing and his first season at Real he was called a major flop. Give him time.
 
I believe what Mourinho wants from Pogba is a good old fashioned midfield general. What Bryan Robson was, what Paul Ince was. I won't say Keane because I feel Keane served a slightly different function that was more about starting our moves and setting our tempo. Robbo and Ince were both more of a goal threat, but they had wonderful timing for transitions. They both got back to compact the shape when we defended. I think that's what Mou is looking for from Pogba. In fairness to Paul sometimes he gets it too. Sometimes though Paul loses his head and defensively he falls down.
 
I still feel his best performances come in a midfield 3 with a DM behind him. He can be the playmaker all he wants but defensively his tactical awareness is not good, he needs a man to cover for him. If Griezmann comes, I am really starting to believe that a 4-4-2 diamond might be the best way to get the most out of him, Pogba, Herrera, Mkhi & Martial. Though a top quality DM will also be needed.
 
I kind of feel that what they're saying is a bit of a moot point really. Looking back at the season so far he should have had many more assists if not for diabolical finishing and he's also been very unlucky in front of goal, hitting the woodwork 6 or 7 times.

And to add to that, we've not seen anywhere near Pogbas best in front of goal. People might not realise this yet if they haven't followed him, but he's one of the best goalscoring midfielders in the game. His ability to strike a ball from distance is unreal, he was bagging amazing goals on a weekly basis for the u18s and scored a lot of good goals for Juve. All that is still to come.

He will put this to bed if people give him chance.
 
Not to mention not having proper pre-season with the team. For me, all we are witnessing is just a taste of things to come. Hopefully. During his best period, he was almost unstoppable. Well, except for the goalposts. Multiple times.
 
I'm sorry and I don't mean to question your knowledge as an opinion is an opinion. But those who have played the game at a high level appreciate just how good Pogba has been. Of course, he hasn't been as consistent as we would have liked or expect and especially in the bigger games, there is no arguing that. However, as a player, what he has been able to bring to our midfield and the problems he gives opposition players is invaluable.

Again, I agree he has to do more but this is a young player, in a new league who has been very good this season. Besides probably Kante, completely different role though, what other central midfielder would you prefer over Pogba this season? Not when sizing up performances to expectations but just the actual on pitch contribution.

People see the mistakes, like misplaced passes, poor shots etc because that's what people look at, what's happening there and then but not why things are happening and he has brought so much more and a lot of his positive work gets overlooked because we naturally want more from him but I feel he has been very good this season when you take the circus away.
Completely agree with you and is there anyone out there that would swap Pogba for Kante? Kante has been world class this season but his role is very specific and isn't ask to do much else. When United play a midfield two pogba has to assume the Kante role and create chances along with Ander. That's something new for him and something he didn't have to do at Juve.
 
The lad is class. Just need some patience.

I completely agree.

To answer the MNF point about his price, he wasnt a 90 million pound player when we bought him. A lot of that money is for his age and potential.
 
You always get the feeling he's playing to justify the price tag, which he doesn't need to do. He'll settle down and then I think we'll see the flashes of brilliance become the norm.
 
Defensive liability in a midfield 2 which is unacceptable. Constantly does too much and gives the ball away. Has a raw talent about him and a good physical strength and I think he will develop into a better player, however he should not be immune from being taken off or dropped when he is not performing and I think that is what is happening right now.
 
Defensive liability in a midfield 2 which is unacceptable. Constantly does too much and gives the ball away. Has a raw talent about him and a good physical strength and I think he will develop into a better player, however he should not be immune from being taken off or dropped when he is not performing and I think that is what is happening right now.

That's my view as well. I accept we need patience with Pogba but, as of now, the team's success is being held to ransom by his performances. If he's still a player with potential, why is he undroppable now? Why shouldn't he be occasionally replaced with Rashford, especially when goalscoring is a serious problem?

Nobody should be bigger than the team.
 
I'm sorry and I don't mean to question your knowledge as an opinion is an opinion. But those who have played the game at a high level appreciate just how good Pogba has been. Of course, he hasn't been as consistent as we would have liked or expect and especially in the bigger games, there is no arguing that. However, as a player, what he has been able to bring to our midfield and the problems he gives opposition players is invaluable.

Again, I agree he has to do more but this is a young player, in a new league who has been very good this season. Besides probably Kante, completely different role though, what other central midfielder would you prefer over Pogba this season? Not when sizing up performances to expectations but just the actual on pitch contribution.

People see the mistakes, like misplaced passes, poor shots etc because that's what people look at, what's happening there and then but not why things are happening and he has brought so much more and a lot of his positive work gets overlooked because we naturally want more from him but I feel he has been very good this season when you take the circus away.
what like Carra, Lampard, Souness, Deschamps, Paul Scholes, Petit? Multiple trophy winners, all of whom have regularly criticised.

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/...ws-90m-problem-epl-table-latest-a7615241.html

only midfielders who are invaluable in my eyes are those who can dominate games or those who score lots and lots of goals
 
what like Carra, Lampard, Souness, Deschamps, Paul Scholes, Petit? Multiple trophy winners, all of whom have regularly criticised.

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/...ws-90m-problem-epl-table-latest-a7615241.html

only midfielders who are invaluable in my eyes are those who can dominate games or those who score lots and lots of goals
Hang on, their job is to critique and analyse.

No doubt Pogba hasn't been out of this world and deserves criticism like any other player but they will also know the positives he is bringing. No link for when Scholes has praised him?
 
Hang on, their job is to critique and analyse.

No doubt Pogba hasn't been out of this world and deserves criticism like any other player but they will also know the positives he is bringing. No link for when Scholes has praised him?
And praise.

They said he simply "has not lived up to his billing" and has "not been good enough" period. That is taking into account positives and negatives.
 
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