[Stacks]

I do agree with Keane's comments but at the same time i feel you need to play to a players strengths. Did Jose ever use Lampard in a midfield two? Its the same with Dele Alli i feel, Poch wouldn't use him in a midfield two either.
Jose just needs to get the balance right, they need to try and meet each other half way.

No point mentioning Lampard. He can score more than 10 goals a season. There has to be a justification for the sacrifice. Pogba has never scored more than 10, Lampard scored 19,20,21 for Jose so it make sense as he compensates for not having another attacker. Even Alli bagged 22 last year.

@el3mel No you have to 'FREE' Pogba

Free him from what? Defensive responsibility? So he can score 10 goals a season?

Never have I seen such a large amount of people advocate for a midfielder to be absolved of his midfield duties. And in order to justify their ass backwards opinion they create these false realities of Pogba playing as a DM or being tasked with shielding the back 4.



They are completely different profile of players. Not only is Pogba physically superior (physicality and engine), he is also superior with the ball. Meanwhile, Lampard and Alli are superior goalscorers.

exactly

It’s full of the same old shite though. Pogba can’t excel in a midfield two (he already has, for club and country) We won’t see poor performances if he plays in a three (we already have)

yep

Was that a big game though? No one is saying he can't do better in a two against weak opposition. The Newcastle performance was inexcusable.

What people are saying is that for him to hit his very peak long term, he needs to focus on becoming more of an attacking midfielder and therefore in a three, rather than as a number 10. Than he would as a orthodox CM like a Modric.

Surely anyone can see that is logical with half a footballing brain by watching the guy since his Juve days.

He has actually put in good displays for Juve in CL in a three and yes he had world class CMs around him, but that is the whole point.. he needs babysitting, he's that sort of player. Telling him to grow up, man up and thinking that is the solution to maximising his talent and forcing him in an ill-suited position will only expose him time and time again on the big stage against world class talents, who can actually play there, are happy to play there and therefore are fully motivated and happy to play there.

It will lead to a repeated car crash against the best opposition. So what is the point of it?

The problem is, its posters like you who are building Pogba up to be some kind of superman who has just had a drop of form and everything will be alright once he gets his head screwed back on.

Imagine Pogba in a two against the elite CL sides. He'd get torn to shreds in a proper competitive game. He is very overrated by you guys who think he's done amazingly well in a two. He's been ok against weak sides, but I can't remember a notable performance in his entire career against big opposition in a two man midfield.. yet at Juve, the Bayern game, had some good games v Real, bossed City (who had KDB) .. and those were in a free role down the left.

I hear you and there is much truth in this, however Gerrard was best behind the striker and could've been a 10 for England yet Benitez eventually shunted him out wide and he excelled. You gotta do your job and be adaptable. Gerrard also had to play CM for England. He was still able to perform in various positions when called upon.

 

[Raees]

Zlatan should give him a nice smack on the head to bring him back down to earth. Pogba is being petty and acting like a prima donna. Listen to your manager and do your fecking job.

If it came down to keeping either Jose (a proven world class manager) or Pogba, I'd easily choose Jose. The power should always be with managers at this club, especially one as established and decorated as Jose, not with the players. What would Fergie have done if Pogba acted this way under him? He'd be benched until he pulls the finger out of his arse.

I don't think it is as simple as that.

Jose has had falling outs with guys like Cristiano or Hazard.

Would Real and Chelsea have been better off backing Jose in those circumstances?

I think you have to look at what version of Jose we have here. It isn't the fresh faced Porto version, versus a player who may go on to be a world class operator and the face of the club for the next 6 years.

It is very conceivable that a new manager might really extract the best out of Pogba and more likely to lead us to success as a result, so if there was a player v manager war.. I don't think it is as simple.

Backing either one is a bit of a gamble, as I don't think Jose is the sure-fire guarantee of elite level success he once was.

 

[Treble]

Pogba was a defensive liability long before the last few weeks. But people preferred to turn a blind eye to his weaknesses because the results were good.

Remember Stoke away (2:2)? Newcastle at home (4:1) when Pogba was great offensvely but Newcastle created numerous chances? Or Arsenal away when Arsenal had 30+ attempts at goal? Or Leicester away and Burnely away?

Given these performances, Jose's decision to play him and Matic in mdfield 2 vs Spurs was quite baffling. What was Jose thinking?

 

[kouroux]

Surely you admit that his effort level for both Spurs and Newcastle was below par, the sign of a very demotivated and unhappy player. With the Spurs game, it wasn't at the start of the game where the effort level was poor.. it just gradually got more and more lethargic, the more he realised he was being given the run around.

In Newcastle, he just started the game with completely the wrong mindset and looked like he didn't' want to be there at all.

Now I've seen Pogba play in a two many times for club and country as I am sure you have, and I have never seen him just stop putting in effort like he did in both those games. His professionalism, has never been called into question to the extent it has on the back of those two games. Yet, he has still played very poorly for country especially in the Euro's in that deeper role and for United, he's had fits and spurts of decent impact in that role against weaker opposition but even with his best efforts, there is no recollection of him ever putting in a world class display in a two against quality opposition (whereas there is evidence he has had world class displays in a three, as well as poor ones).

The point being that contrary to the recent desire to label him a lazy cnut, who just needs to get his head together - he has rarely if ever been called out for not trying. Indisciplined tactically, poor positionally? yes.. but not giving a feck, not trying at all. That is not what one associates with Paul Pogba.

In fact when Scholes said something about his fitness, there was tonnes of posters willing to slag Scholes off and saying Pogba never stops running blah blah and some of the same posters have now turned 180 and calling him a lazy bastard. Therefore if Pogba is indeed putting in less effort, which he clearly is.. yes it is a disgrace, but surely we have a cause for concern that a guy who is usually the song and dance, the joyous heartbeat of the squad is now suddenly sullen and disinterested.

That has to be a worry. You can't just ignore that and say, Pogba you lazy bastard because it is very out of character for him.

Also if the rest of the squad was firing on all cylinders and he was the only one holding us back, I'd get the recent venom for him.. but he's only had two really bad performances and yet we have been pretty meh all season and there's been plenty of moaning about how we play, so it can't all just be Pogba's fault nor will it all suddenly be resolved if he just pulls his socks up and really focuses on his role as a CM. It won't really change the deeper lying problems with our structure and how we play.

Honestly I did notice some lazy tendencies way before those 2 recent games (which makes it even more mind boggling why Mourinho keeps asking him to do it), it was never as bad as them of course and it never was a source of concern like it is now. He's probably unhappy but maybe try to express it directly to Mourinho if he didn't already (he probably has) otherwise it's akin to sabotaging your team if he just decides to not give a feck anymore.

 

[Jim Beam]

I guess the question is, for the club, which is better for it, is it better for the club to get rid of Pogba, or to get rid of Mourinho? Personally I have my answer, and that would be Mourinho, but i'm not sure everyone would agree with that for one reason or another.

We're certainly not at that stage and we didn't cover the most logical conclusion that it's absolutely blown out of proportion by the media. If there is any truth, though, both need to pull their head out of their arses and find the way to solve it.

Pogba would certainly make his case stronger by putting the shift and working during the match, in any case.

 

[breakout67]

No top team builds their team around a midfielder; that is because the whole point of a midfielder is to link the defence and attack together. They are supposed to sacrifice themselves so the attackers can shine and the defenders are protected.

In fact, almost all top teams are good TEAMS and not reliant on one individual. What happens is that teams play around a specific player because of his quality, not as a tactical setup.

Pogba for most of his time here has worked for the team, last season he was creating so many chances that the attackers did not finish. However, in the past 1-2 months he has changed. It could be a drop in form, it could be him getting frustrated that we are not winning, it could be him getting upset with Sanchez coming in exchange for Mkhitaryan who he seemed to enjoy being with.

Hopefully he goes back to his normal self.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Sthere is no recollection of him ever putting in a world class display in a two against quality opposition (whereas there is evidence he has had world class displays in a three, as well as poor ones).

Such as?

 

[Offside]

Pogba was a defensive liability long before the last few weeks. But people preferred to turn a blind eye to his weaknesses because the results were good.

Remember Stoke away (2:2)? Newcastle at home (4:1) when Pogba was great offensvely but Newcastle created numerous chances? Or Arsenal away when Arsenal had 30+ attempts at goal? Or Leicester away and Burnely away?

Given these performances, Jose's decision to play him and Matic in mdfield 2 vs Spurs was quite baffling. What was Jose thinking?

Not only that but to drop him and then play him there again against Newcastle is ridiculous. He was also poor over the Christmas period but then played higher up against Everton and had a great game- then gets moved back there. Jose is completely failing him as far as I’m concerned.

 

[Djemba-Djemba]

Or what happens when a week after you give Pogba everything he wants tactically Sanchez comes knocking at the door complaining abut having to sacrifice parts of his game to allow another freedom?

Have to be careful of the message you send to the squad and potential future signings.

Exactly.

For all his ability and potential he's simply not been good enough for Utd to expect Jose to cater to his demands anyway. This isn't a Messi or Ronaldo scoring 60 goals a season and being the driving force in winning the biggest trophies.

And I have to say trying to get Jose to change tactics by not putting in any effort on the pitch as we saw on Sunday is an absolute shithouse way to go about it. Really annoyed me against Newcastle.

 

[Raees]

I hear you and there is much truth in this, however Gerrard was best behind the striker and could've been a 10 for England yet Benitez eventually shunted him out wide and he excelled. You gotta do your job and be adaptable. Gerrard also had to play CM for England. He was still able to perform in various positions when called upon.

Gerrard was a guy who loved to play CM, the problem was none of his managers seemed to love playing him there apart from the national team ones who felt they had no choice but to use him there in order to get Rooney into the side as a 10.

Gerrard's idols were guys like Keane and Viera, he dreamt of being like those guys, so for him.. the chance to be B2B CM was a dream for him, but his issue was his attacking skills and attacking football intelligence, far outstripped his intelligence in his own half and thus he lacked the balance needed to play there. It wasn't for a lack of effort.

The only time he was truly unhappy about a position change was RM, that was a demotion for him of sorts and yes he put up with it, but only for a season (or two). The best season came after he was placed as an AM behind Torres.

If you were to say to Gerrard he had to remain a RM for Liverpool for a vast part of his career, I reckon he'd have definitely taken that Chelsea move. He put up with it for a while.

Pogba has had to put up playing out of position for country and for club, in a role he doesn't like.. so his mindset is different to Gerrard, and whereas Gerrard was actually playing well as a RM, so could see the benefit of playing there.. Pogba is constantly being exposed there against good sides, and is very intermittently playing well there even against weaker opponents. The side as whole isn't playing that fluently. Therefore it is easy to see why he would be frustrated and at breaking point as he feels for club and country, he's not playing where he wants to.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Pogba was a defensive liability long before the last few weeks. But people preferred to turn a blind eye to his weaknesses because the results were good.

Remember Stoke away (2:2)? Newcastle at home (4:1) when Pogba was great offensvely but Newcastle created numerous chances? Or Arsenal away when Arsenal had 30+ attempts at goal? Or Leicester away and Burnely away?

Given these performances, Jose's decision to play him and Matic in mdfield 2 vs Spurs was quite baffling. What was Jose thinking?

You obviously don't. He played in a midfield three - alongside Matic and Hererra - in that game.

 

[kouroux]

No top team builds their team around a midfielder; that is because the whole point of a midfielder is to link the defence and attack together. They are supposed to sacrifice themselves so the attackers can shine and the defenders are protected.

In fact, almost all top teams are good TEAMS and not reliant on one individual. What happens is that teams play around a specific player because of his quality, not as a tactical setup.

Pogba for most of his time here has worked for the team, last season he was creating so many chances that the attackers did not finish. However, in the past 1-2 months he has changed. It could be a drop in form, it could be him getting frustrated that we are not winning, it could be him getting upset with Sanchez coming in exchange for Mkhitaryan who he seemed to enjoy being with.

Hopefully he goes back to his normal self.

If I were to make a guess (and I hate doing that), I'd say he's annoyed that Sanchez is the new "main man" at United. The point of his arrival here was that this team would be his and it would be the stepping to further glory but along comes Sanchez with his status and his wages. I know, I know, I'm trying to be controversial here

 

[Stacks]

Gerrard was a guy who loved to play CM, the problem was none of his managers seemed to love playing him there apart from the national team ones who felt they had no choice but to use him there in order to get Rooney into the side as a 10.

Gerrard's idols were guys like Keane and Viera, he dreamt of being like those guys, so for him.. the chance to be B2B CM was a dream for him, but his issue was his attacking skills and attacking football intelligence, far outstripped his intelligence in his own half and thus he lacked the balance needed to play there. It wasn't for a lack of effort.

The only time he was truly unhappy about a position change was RM, that was a demotion for him of sorts and yes he put up with it, but only for a season (or two). The best season came after he was placed as an AM behind Torres.

If you were to say to Gerrard he had to remain a RM for Liverpool for a vast part of his career, I reckon he'd have definitely taken that Chelsea move. He put up with it for a while.

Pogba has had to put up playing out of position for country and for club, in a role he doesn't like.. so his mindset is different to Gerrard, and whereas Gerrard was actually playing well as a RM, so could see the benefit of playing there.. Pogba is constantly being exposed there against good sides, and is very intermittently playing well there even against weaker opponents. The side as whole isn't playing that fluently. Therefore it is easy to see why he would be frustrated and at breaking point as he feels for club and country, he's not playing where he wants to.

Ask yourself this, why are his managers not playing him in his favorite position for both club and country?

 

[breakout67]

You obviously don't. He played in a midfield three - alongside Matic and Hererra - in that game.

This is what I keep on thinking when people say we are 'clearly better in a midfield 3'. Our performances as a midfield 3 are mixed to say the least.

In fact, I would say that we are better using a 4-2-3-1 against smaller teams because we have enough quality between Matic and Pogba.

I don't have an objection to 4-3-3, but given our current midfielder it's not up to scratch. If we got in a top class midfielder to play 4-3-3 next season I'd be fully behind it.

 

[YouOnlyLiveTwice]

Exactly.

For all his ability and potential he's simply not been good enough for Utd to expect Jose to cater to his demands anyway. This isn't a Messi or Ronaldo scoring 60 goals a season and being the driving force in winning the biggest trophies.

And I have to say trying to get Jose to change tactics by not putting in any effort on the pitch as we saw on Sunday is an absolute shithouse way to go about it. Really annoyed me against Newcastle.

We would cater to the whole team by switching the system up. Can we honestly say we have a #10 or RW who deserves to play constantly? What we have is 4 strikers and a midfielder who prefers to roam around in the final third. A change in system wouldn't be to Pogba's benefit only.

 

[hn4manunited]

We do videos of players when they're on the ball for certain games. Maybe we should just do a video of how shite a player is on certain games when they were not doing their job.

 

[Jim Beam]

If I were to make a guess (and I hate doing that), I'd say he's annoyed that Sanchez is the new "main man" at United. The point of his arrival here was that this team would be his and it would be the stepping to further glory but along comes Sanchez with his status and his wages. I know, I know, I'm trying to be controversial here

A tad too controversial imo. That doesn't make sense to me. Zlatan was here last year and Zlatan being Zlatan practically took the limelight from the start. Didn't see any problem with Pogba, actually, it seemed like he doesn't mind it one bit.

I also believe that every player would welcome a new world-class one in a team. It's logical, it helps them to win trophies. We were also on the verge of signing Griezmann and giving him number 7, pretty sure that Pogba would welcome him. Or Dybala, for that matter.

 

[Treble]

You obviously don't. He played in a midfield three - alongside Matic and Hererra - in that game.

Did I say otherwise? When you are a liability defensively wise, it is not a smart idea to start you in a midfiled 2 vs a top team, no?

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Did I say otherwise? When you are a liability defensively wise, it is not a smart idea to start you in a midfiled 2 vs a top team, no?

Do you think he gave our defence the protection they needed against the mighty Stoke when he played in a three?

Of not, perhaps focussing on the formation (which you just did) is missing the point?

 

[Treble]

Do you think he gave our defence the protection they needed against the mighty Stoke when he played in a three?

Of not, perhaps focussing on the formation (which you just did) is missing the point?

When you struggle defensively in mid 3, chances are you will have even bigger problems in mid 2, especially vs stronger opposition.

 

[royboy16]

Lampard was a top midfielder, he gave his all, had good output. He was moved further forward because they knew they could rely on him to keep doing his thing but knew they would get even more out of him if he was further forward.

Pogba needs to get the first part down first.

Lampard was also scoring plenty of goals for Chelsea and vindicated playing further up.
Pogba needs to work on his shooting.

 

[Bobski]

A tad too controversial imo. That doesn't make sense to me. Zlatan was here last year and Zlatan being Zlatan practically took the limelight from the start. Didn't see any problem with Pogba, actually, it seemed like he doesn't mind it one bit.

I also believe that every player would welcome a new world-class one in a team. It's logical, it helps them to win trophies. We were also on the verge of signing Griezmann and giving him number 7, pretty sure that Pogba would welcome him. Or Dybala, for that matter.

Zlatan and Pogba did not have the problem of overlapping roles. At that stage of his career Zlatan is/was a pure 9, not roaming out of his position that often and generally stayed in areas you would expect from that role.
.
Sanchez is a roamer, can't play him as a 9 because he is drawn to the ball, and even though he works hard he does not do it in a tactically disciplined way. He reacts and chases the man/ball even if it may leave an area exposed, requires others to be switched on and accept sacrifice in their games. Pretty much exactly what Pogba wants.

France struggle to to get the best out of Grizeman and Pogba together

 

[Pogue Mahone]

When you struggle defensively in mid 3, chances are you will have even bigger problems in mid 2, especially vs stronger opposition.

Well - as we saw against Stoke - throwing Hererra in the mix doesn't solve anything. In fact, Hererra's been pretty crap throughout this season. While gaps open up behind Pogba because he's slow to track back, the same thing happens with Hererra because he's constantly attracted to the ball. The opposition bypass him with embarrassing ease.

Carrick and Matic with Pogba would be interesting but Carrick still looks rusty as feck and might never get back to his best.

Earlier on in the season the Pogba-Matic-Fellaini trio looked excellent in various games (admittedly in the closing stages) but - again - that wasn't an option against Spurs.

 

[kouroux]

A tad too controversial imo. That doesn't make sense to me. Zlatan was here last year and Zlatan being Zlatan practically took the limelight from the start. Didn't see any problem with Pogba, actually, it seemed like he doesn't mind it one bit.

I also believe that every player would welcome a new world-class one in a team. It's logical, it helps them to win trophies. We were also on the verge of signing Griezmann and giving him number 7, pretty sure that Pogba would welcome him. Or Dybala, for that matter.

Controversial mode still on, Zlatan was a beast and arrived at the same time as him. Sanchez could be seen as another to improve the team when he couldn't do that from an advanced position. We know he likes to play in that free man role that may be taken by Sanchez. This is why I could see Pogba being annoyed at first.
I think he is a little immature so him possibly being annoyed by it wouldn't be a surprise. I'm probably wrong though (hopefully)

 

[Raees]

Such as?

 

[Dinghy]

Well - as we saw against Stoke - throwing Hererra in the mix doesn't solve anything.

-One- game, in which our defense had a couple brainfarts that led to the goals that got Stoke the draw, is enough evidence to claim that Pogba is not doing better in a midfield 3? Jeezes...

 

[Pogue Mahone]

So you're saying he'd look good in a midfield three with Pirlo and Vidal? Hard to argue with that. Neither of them play for United, though, more's the pity.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

-One- game, in which our defense had a couple brainfarts that led to the goals, is enough evidence to claim that Pogba is not doing better in a midfield 3? Jeezes...

Well Hererra's been fairly wank all season. So there's that.

 

[el3mel]

-One- game, in which our defense had a couple brainfarts that led to the goals that got Stoke the draw, is enough evidence to claim that Pogba is not doing better in a midfield 3? Jeezes...

TBF, that also came shortly after the UEFA Super Cup, in which we played with midfield trio and we were atrocious till Fellaini entered and we started to build some attacks thanks to him.

In order for this midfield trio to succeed is to have a player like Carrick in the mix.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

TBF, that also came shortly after the UEFA Super Cup, in which we played with midfield trio and we were atrocious till Fellaini entered and we started to build some attacks thanks to him.

In order for this midfield trio to succeed is to have a player like Carrick in the mix.

Forgot about that.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Spoiler: More Pogbashing in a 3

Been pretty invisible in the first half..

He is really irritating at times. Really needs to produce more output as he is a luxury player in general play.

I don't know what it is with him in the big games.

Seems to try too hard and it doesn't come natural.

Hopefully just a 1 off game.

Seems to wilt in the big games

He's not a no.10. He can't finish and his decision making is poor. Asking him to be the attacking mid is a waste of a world class box to box midfielder.

Brainless. When acting n instinct he's great, but as soon as he has to put thought into something he makes the wrong choice almost every time.

Says a lot when our 'world class' midfielder ends up playing left wing back like he did towards the end of the first half.

He is much better operating from deeper.

For all the hype on here over the Matic - Herrera - Pogba midfield he'll need to adapt his game to make it work. A Modric type instead at this point would have us playing better football, passing moving and keeping it simple.
Since Pogba will always play the answer might be to drop Herrera and play a 10 instead.

Our worst player tonight

Poor tonight. His decision making let him down. Not helped by us playing second fiddle and generally lacking options up the pitch to pass to.

Big fan but worst player on the pitch tonight. He doesn't take big games too well, it seems.

That was our best midfield, we'll see it a lot this season and it will be far too good for the vast majority of teams we play. Wait and see.

Comments after the UEFA Super Cup game, where we basically got our arses handed to us with Hererra, Pogba and Matic in a three until Fellaini came off the bench and we finally started causing them problems.

Have included a comment from yours truly being completely and utterly wrong, for shits and giggles...

 

[Raees]

Ask yourself this, why are his managers not playing him in his favorite position for both club and country?

Aside from the fact Deschamps is a moron, even a competent manager would struggle to build that french side around Pogba because Griezmann plays as a second striker, and they have an abundance of riches in attacking positions which means in order to shoehorn Pogba into the side, due to him obviously not being as big a threat in front of goal compared to second strikers/wing forwards and CF's.. the seemingly logical solution for Deschamps seems to, play him as a CM.. at cost to the overall balance to the side and as we saw in the Euro 16 final, their fluidity.

What Deschamps needs to do is either use Griezmann as a false 9, or go diamond.. or just bench Pogba. The worst thing he can do is just shoehorn him in just based on his reputation and status.

Diarra
Rabiot Pogba
Dembele Griezmann Mbappe
​

Probably the only way to get Griezmann and Pogba into the same side and not lose width.

With Mourinho, he has long been wedded to the 4-2-3-1 formation and because Pogba is obviously not a 10, he has to therefore operate as a CM. When he has gone 4-3-3, Pogba's lack of attacking output compared to say a Lampard/Gerrard means that with the lack of killers in the forward position, Jose has not wanted to gamble on letting him grow there as it might risk not being able to score enough to win games and get points on the board. For Jose, it is a results first policy over the cohesion and performance aspect.

Which is understandable in the short term, but when the performances are getting that bad to the point where the results are no longer trickling in and the superstar you have been playing out of position has had enough, you've got to try something different.

Bottom line is both France and United, if they were thriving inspite of Pogba being played out of position, then I would understand and be behind both managers as the team comes first. But when the overall fluency of both sides is not great, and Pogba is at the heart of the issue.. then either bench him, or change the system up to better incorporate what he wants, as he is likely to prove a key component in getting the team to be more fluent in attack if unleashed and given time to continue to grow in that role.

The way I see it is, as a left sided AM, he can grow into a 9/10 player.. yes he'll have bad games, but he can be a star if backed. But as a CM, I can't even see him making par - he's going to be struggling massively to even be reliable in that role against competent opponents let alone a world class star. So if you don't trust him, you don't want to develop him.. stop playing him and go buy someone you believe in, but don't waste his talent.

In hindsight, would I have brought Pogba.. no. Very difficult player to build a side around, and not the sort of player you buy when a side is in transition. Secondly is he guaranteed to be a massive hit in a three and viola we are EPL winners, again no.. he could still flop and not hit the expectations we need. However, tactically speaking is he definitely better off going more forwards than he is going backwards? 100%. Tactically he is unbalanced and not as good going backwards as he is forward.. for me that is unquestionable.

 

[Sterling Archer]

Going to repost my comment from one of the other Pogba threads quoting the interview from last year. The kid is all talk, style and not enough fortitude right now. He doesn't like being marked. Jeez that's a weak excuse.
--------------------------
Why are so many people giving a pass to Pogba? Has playing in a midfield two somehow before an impossible task in modern day football?

What does Pogba himself want? Well, unless he suddenly decided he wants just a free role with little to no defending it sounds like he wants to be a truly exceptional all-round (box to box) midfielder:

ESPN: You've said you want to create, or be, the new midfielder. What does "the new midfielder" mean?

PP: Doing everything: defend, attack, score, give assists, tackle, win back the ball. Be a leader on the field.

ESPN: A box-to-box midfielder, with a bit of Zidane added?

PP: [laughs] Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Messi, everyone. Iniesta.

ESPN: Really? You're serious?

PP: I'm serious. All players rolled into one: from defensive midfielder to attacking midfielder to attacker. I want to take the qualities from everyone. I'd like to get to the level where I have everything: Vieira, Deschamps, Zidane, Ronaldinho, Henry, Ronaldo. It wouldn't be bad, that. I've already scored goals, given decisive passes, won back balls. It's really just about raising the level.

ESPN: Despite your height you haven't scored many headers.

PP: I think it's because I'm big. They mark me too much. I don't like it when they hold me.

http://www.espn.com/soccer/club/fra...pean-championships-and-his-future-at-juventus

So is the tune different now? Because I can't recall the last time this kid last put in a true tackle. And that's honestly fine. Maybe he is deciding he wants to just focus on attacking. But is he somehow incapable of the discipline and technical ability to play another midfield role?

No. It's his mentality. Wherever you play him he should be excellent.

I included the question about headers in there. Look at Pogba's reasoning . That answer is shocking and says it all.

Toughen the feck up Paul, you have everything to be one of the greatest players of this generation... Except for more grit .maybe Alexis will impart some of that to him.

 

[Jim Beam]

Zlatan and Pogba did not have the problem of overlapping roles. At that stage of his career Zlatan is/was a pure 9, not roaming out of his position that often and generally stayed in areas you would expect from that role.
.
Sanchez is a roamer, can't play him as a 9 because he is drawn to the ball, and even though he works hard he does not do it in a tactically disciplined way. He reacts and chases the man/ball even if it may leave an area exposed, requires others to be switched on and accept sacrifice in their games. Pretty much exactly what Pogba wants.

France struggle to to get the best out of Grizeman and Pogba together

Ok, assuming all that is true, although I don't see Alexis going so much in Pogba's areas, that still seems like a purely tactical problem, then who is the "main man" problem which has been suggested initially.

France struggle to get the best out of Griezmann and Pogba. That's correct, but I've never seen Pogba downing tools or not doing his work because of that.

Controversial mode still on, Zlatan was a beast and arrived at the same time as him. Sanchez could be seen as another to improve the team when he couldn't do that from an advanced position. We know he likes to play in that free man role that may be taken by Sanchez. This is why I could see Pogba being annoyed at first.
I think he is a little immature so him possibly being annoyed by it wouldn't be a surprise. I'm probably wrong though (hopefully)

Still, Sanchez arriving is tactically better fit for him than for example Griezmann. Buying Griezmann would practically nail him to be in midfield two for the future and it didn't seem to me he has any problem with that (can't read his mind so it's guessing).
If he has any problem with his position, Sanchez flexibility to operate all over the attacking line and especially from the wing, helps him to get into his favourite one.

Do get what you're saying in the sense of doing something Pogba couldn't, but if he has any sense he would see more advantages than disadvantages from his buying.

 

[Red_toad]

Therefore it is easy to see why he would be frustrated and at breaking point as he feels for club and country, he's not playing where he wants to.

I can understand if a player runs his arse off and works for the team, that they may get frustrated, but when I witness some downing tools and doing his own thing half arsed, then I have zero sympathy. He was pathetic against Newcastle, did his own thing and was even poor at that.
Lad has a fantastic engine and is as strong as an ox, but haven't seen any evidence of that player for a while now. If he's not even trying, why are some people wanting everything to revolve around him. If he won't do the foot work then needs to go sit on the bench and have an attitude adjustment.

 

[Raees]

So you're saying he'd look good in a midfield three with Pirlo and Vidal? Hard to argue with that. Neither of them play for United, though, more's the pity.

That is the thing Pogue, I feel like we agree more than you think. I am arguing that Pogba isn't as good as some like to think. He has some massive flaws as a player which even with 100% effort cannot be rectified. I play as a midfielder myself and I can tell you now, some of the shit he does in that position.. you wouldn't even see sunday league CM's do, that is how poor he can be sometimes in the worst moments.

He needs world class midfielders (proper CM's) around him, to free him up so he can be more of an icing on the cake sort of player. He is not the player you rely on to be the spine of a side. We are trying to turn him into our Di Stefano, a guy who does it all.. he is a guy who is actually very limited because for all his range of skills, his application of them is very jack of all trades, master of none.

We need to build the side in a way where it is built inspite of him, rather than focused on him being the main superstar. That said, he could still be such a useful player if the rest of the side is bang on tactically.

 

[diplomat]

If he won't do the foot work then needs to go sit on the bench and have an attitude adjustment.

Such a shame we don't have John Cena in our staff.

 

[Treble]

Well - as we saw against Stoke - throwing Hererra in the mix doesn't solve anything. In fact, Hererra's been pretty crap throughout this season. While gaps open up behind Pogba because he's slow to track back, the same thing happens with Hererra because he's constantly attracted to the ball. The opposition bypass him with embarrassing ease.

Carrick and Matic with Pogba would be interesting but Carrick still looks rusty as feck and might never get back to his best.

Earlier on in the season the Pogba-Matic-Fellaini trio looked excellent in various games (admittedly in the closing stages) but - again - that wasn't an option against Spurs.

In a sense, Jose is perfectly right. There is no reason why Pogba can't be solid defensively. Jose wants to develop this side of his game and make him a complete player. Pogba's behaviour is immature right now. But the coming games are too important for experiments and lessons. Jose should find a working solution now and in the summer to think of other solutions if needed.

 

[Raees]

I can understand if a player runs his arse off and works for the team, that they may get frustrated, but when I witness some downing tools and doing his own thing half arsed, then I have zero sympathy. He was pathetic against Newcastle, did his own thing and was even poor at that.
Lad has a fantastic engine and is as strong as an ox, but haven't seen any evidence of that player for a while now. If he's not even trying, why are some people wanting everything to revolve around him. If he won't do the foot work then needs to go sit on the bench and have an attitude adjustment.

The Spurs game, it can happen to anyone where the game is going against you, you feel exposed and embarrassed and you gradually just lose your head. He didn't go into that game with the intention to half-arse his way through.

Newcastle game, I accept.. he looked like he couldn't give a shit. It is inexcusable. But lets not make out like he's been half arsed all season, yes he has a lazy stroll like style of play but that is just Paul Pogba.. he has that languid style. He has been trying all season, it is only the recent game where he looked from minute 1, like he didn't want to play. It is not a normal situation.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

That is the thing Pogue, I feel like we agree more than you think. I am arguing that Pogba isn't as good as some like to think. He has some massive flaws as a player which even with 100% effort cannot be rectified. I play as a midfielder myself and I can tell you now, some of the shit he does in that position.. you wouldn't even see sunday league CM's do, that is how poor he can be sometimes in the worst moments.

He needs world class midfielders (proper CM's) around him, to free him up so he can be more of an icing on the cake sort of player. He is not the player you rely on to be the spine of a side. We are trying to turn him into our Di Stefano, a guy who does it all.. he is a guy who is actually very limited because for all his range of skills, his application of them is very jack of all trades, master of none.

We need to build the side in a way where it is built inspite of him, rather than focused on him being the main superstar. That said, he could still be such a useful player if the rest of the side is bang on tactically.

Well my take on him is pretty close to Mourinho's:

‘For me Paul is a midfield player. He’s not a left back, he’s not a striker. When people ask his best position: he’s a midfield player. It depends on the tactical system but he will always be a midfielder. Then with so many opinions, and we are in a world of opinions, people can get confused. There is no confusion between me and Paul. It’s difficult to play a midfielder with more potential than Paul.’

Especially the bit in bold. I see him as (hopefully) a late developer, who has all the tools to be an absolute monster, if he can just get his shit together and learn to be more of a team player. Maybe at Juve he needed two world class CMs to function but he should be a better player now and less in need of baby-sitting. There has been glimpses of this and I definitely think that, overall, he's improved on last season. It's frustrating but I'm willing to be patient. The petulant shit he served up at Newcastle is completely unacceptable, though.