[tjb]

I suspect Pogba is injured. However, i also believe that the only reason Pogba no longer works in a midfield 2 is because he no longer wants to play in a pivot. I'm not even sure he wants be a midfielder at this point. Our form really started to dip a bit after that everton game when we played the midfield 3. After that game, thats when all the new sets of complaints started to come in about Pogba being in a midfield 2. Then Mourinho compromised by dropping Lingard into a role as the third central midfielder, and since then United have not been the same. As much as the midfield 3 may suit Pogba, even though I feel he has not been fit enough to show this, I feel other members of the squad are not comfortable with it. Lingard is a poor centre midfielder. Matic does not have the passing range and quick feet to be the one to solely relive pressure off the defence in a single pivot. Lukaku also suffers, as others have stated prior, he is not a great target man, and leaving isolated in a 433 reduces the support he gets.

I feel Mourinho has tried and is trying to make Pogba more complete by improving him defensively in midfield. But the real question is, is Pogba actually a centre midfielder or does his size and initial position make us believe that is his true role. Ruud Gullit was similar, he had the size and the stature of a midfielder, and was also viewed as complete, but was more effective in a wide position or as a second striker than he was in midfield because he lacked the defensive capabilities that central midfielders require. If we allowed Pogba to roam like sneijder and deco used to, or played him in a midfield square like we did against Chelsea, maybe we could get the most out of Pogba without negatively affecting the rest of the team.

 

[catmandeu]

I seriously believe pogba situation is very temporary and in no situation whats so ever we can afford to loose pobga. If we simply tweak our formation into a more diamond one and add a few players to our line up, i think we can have a different aproach to our games .

Add two new fullbacks, sell shaw and darmain and blind. Play central defense pair of baily and smalling. Matic as central defensive mid. We can also play fellaini or herrera in there. Mc tominay too can play in less pressure games .

Pogba as lm, perreira or maybe a new signing as rm, sanchez and mata can interchange for the tip of diamond. Front striker pair of any two between martial, lukaku and rashford.

We need 2 good fullbacks who can over lap, pogba wont cross sanches’s line. We have two strikers up front. We can make 3 central defensive players to form the triangle of defense.

This formation will be very possession based but it sure might make things exciting.

 

[Bwuk]

I’m not sure I even know how to solve the Pogba conundrum other than to play him at #10.

He has all the talent in the world with the ball at his feet. But take that away and his positioning and awareness of opposition is shocking.

 

[Leftback99]

I m at the stage with Pogba that I really don't think he would be much of a loss if we sign 2 top midfielders in the summer. Anyone else feel like this?

Possibly. The issue is there is no obvious position for him at the moment that doesn't come with negatives:
- He's not good enough defensively in a two man midfield.
- Giving him an attacking role means 3 of Martial, Rashford, Mata, Sanchez, Lingard end up on the bench who all offer more goal threat.
- We don't have a box to box or playmaker to supplement him in a 3 man midfield.

 

[YouOnlyLiveTwice]

Can you name 2 top midfielders who are better than him, and are available?

That would be difficult. The issue is not about quality though, but more about effectiveness. Pogba doesn’t seem the right fit for this team under Mourinho.

A player bought for 90m should never sit on the bench.

 

[Cassidy]

That would be difficult. The issue is not about quality though, but more about effectiveness. Pogba doesn’t seem the right fit for this team under Mourinho.

A player bought for 90m should never sit on the bench.

Who does in your opinion?

 

[Cassidy]

Possibly. The issue is there is no obvious position for him at the moment that doesn't come with negatives:
- He's not good enough defensively in a two man midfield.
- Giving him an attacking role means 3 of Martial, Rashford, Mata, Sanchez, Lingard end up on the bench who all offer more goal threat.
- We don't have a box to box or playmaker to supplement him in a 3 man midfield.

The caveat there is that he provides more assists than all of those this season. So maybe for balance sake dropping one of them, and focusing goals on 3 attackers rather than 4 gives us more balance.

I would say creativity is a major lacking thing in our team from an attacking sense, especially without Pogba (when hes on form) which actually for the most part of this season he has been.

Personally I think most of the problems with the team are structural and not down to individuals and if we fix those Pogba and the likes of Martial and Sanchez will excel

 

[YouOnlyLiveTwice]

Who does in your opinion?

Any player with a bit of defensive discipline and the work-rate to match the role given.

Edit: Banega, Verratti, Neves, Pjanic. Those kind of players.

 

[littleman]

I think Warren's assessment of Pogba as an old fashioned inside left is correct. And he does not seem to possess the desire or the talent to become a b2b. We should either use him as is or ditch him, because the boy has mental problems getting through this patch now.

 

[Rasfene]

Can you name 2 top midfielders who are better than him, and are available?

Like what the previous person mentioned: Banega, Verratti, Neves, Pjanic.

KDB is unavailable. Let's just say Hazard is old.

But there are still bunch of players who may perform better than Pogba for at least 1-2 seasons: Tonis Kroos, Casemiro, Kante, James Rodriguez, Deli ali, Isco.

 

[villain]

That would be difficult. The issue is not about quality though, but more about effectiveness. Pogba doesn’t seem the right fit for this team under Mourinho.

A player bought for 90m should never sit on the bench.

Unless he’s injured, or not in form. Which is the case here.

Like what the previous person mentioned: Banega, Verratti, Neves, Pjanic.

KDB is unavailable. Let's just say Hazard is old.

But there are still bunch of players who may perform better than Pogba for at least 1-2 seasons: Tonis Kroos, Casemiro, Kante, James Rodriguez, Deli ali, Isco.

Neves, Banega and Pjanic aren’t better. I don’t think Verrati is available.

Tony Kroos isn’t available. The rest you listed are different types of players.
I think that’s why we’re targeting the likes of Fred and Weigl.
Pogba isn’t the best midfielder in the world but he has the potential to do so, but in order for him to reach that level he needs assistance, and so does Matic.

 

[royboy16]

I heard it all now.
The sun are saying Jose was raging with Pogba for interupting his TV interview after the liverpool game

 

[Doracle]

I thought he looked a bit annoyed at the time. Wouldn’t surprise me at all if that story is accurate.

 

[Stacks]

I m at the stage with Pogba that I really don't think he would be much of a loss if we sign 2 top midfielders in the summer. Anyone else feel like this?

That would be the case with anyone surely? If you lose a top midfielder and by another 2, then you have gained!

 

[Minimalist]

The caveat there is that he provides more assists than all of those this season. So maybe for balance sake dropping one of them, and focusing goals on 3 attackers rather than 4 gives us more balance.

I would say creativity is a major lacking thing in our team from an attacking sense, especially without Pogba (when hes on form) which actually for the most part of this season he has been.

Personally I think most of the problems with the team are structural and not down to individuals and if we fix those Pogba and the likes of Martial and Sanchez will excel

He’s got a very good rate of assists but doesn’t actually create as many chances as other creative midfielders which is interesting. He’d also need to score more goals to justify a purely attacking role.

I’m disappointed we don’t see more shots from range from Pogba. I thought that was one of his skillsets.

 

[OldSchoolManc]

He’s got a very good rate of assists but doesn’t actually create as many chances as other creative midfielders which is interesting. He’d also need to score more goals to justify a purely attacking role.

I’m disappointed we don’t see more shots from range from Pogba. I thought that was one of his skillsets.

More shots from range on target would be better!

 

[Cassidy]

He’s got a very good rate of assists but doesn’t actually create as many chances as other creative midfielders which is interesting. He’d also need to score more goals to justify a purely attacking role.

I’m disappointed we don’t see more shots from range from Pogba. I thought that was one of his skillsets.

He shouldn't have a purely attacking role, I'm saying play him in a 3 and use 3 attackers.

 

[MUFC OK]

I seriously believe pogba situation is very temporary and in no situation whats so ever we can afford to loose pobga. If we simply tweak our formation into a more diamond one and add a few players to our line up, i think we can have a different aproach to our games .

Add two new fullbacks, sell shaw and darmain and blind. Play central defense pair of baily and smalling. Matic as central defensive mid. We can also play fellaini or herrera in there. Mc tominay too can play in less pressure games .

Pogba as lm, perreira or maybe a new signing as rm, sanchez and mata can interchange for the tip of diamond. Front striker pair of any two between martial, lukaku and rashford.

We need 2 good fullbacks who can over lap, pogba wont cross sanches’s line. We have two strikers up front. We can make 3 central defensive players to form the triangle of defense.

This formation will be very possession based but it sure might make things exciting.

Think a lot of fans are now coming to the realisation that its the fullbacks who are holding back our attacking play. Must be the priority in summer to sort this out for me.

 

[Rasfene]

Unless he’s injured, or not in form. Which is the case here.



Neves, Banega and Pjanic aren’t better. I don’t think Verrati is available.

Tony Kroos isn’t available. The rest you listed are different types of players.
I think that’s why we’re targeting the likes of Fred and Weigl.
Pogba isn’t the best midfielder in the world but he has the potential to do so, but in order for him to reach that level he needs assistance, and so does Matic.

What do you mean by Toni kroos isn't available?

He's 28 already and real Madrid would be smart to sell him. Furthermore, man utd has some firepower to buy a 28 year old.

 

[villain]

What do you mean by Toni kroos isn't available?

He's 28 already and real Madrid would be smart to sell him. Furthermore, man utd has some firepower to buy a 28 year old.

He's 28, in his prime - Real Madrid are likely to transition some of their aging stars in the next few years - Ronaldo, Marcelo, Modric, Bale etc.
Plus DDG is a prime target of theirs - so on what planet would they sell one of their best players, without targeting DDG at least (they could target Pogba or Martial too), or charging us upwards of £120m? (if it's true that they quoted us £90m for Morata)

Yes, every player has a price - but given the position we're in, plus our recent history with Madrid, Kroos isn't available to us, unless the is available to everybody - and at that point we're in a bidding war with City, Bayern, Chelsea & PSG. It's just not realistic.

That's what I mean by he isn't available. Context is important when it comes to player negotiations and transfers.

 

[Cliche Guevara]

I thought he looked a bit annoyed at the time. Wouldn’t surprise me at all if that story is accurate.

Why do people say stuff like this?

Jose winked, leaned forward to shake his hand then laughed and carried on with the interview without missing a beat.

Klopp on the other hand had a face like a smashed up toilet.

 

[dirkey]

He’s got a very good rate of assists but doesn’t actually create as many chances as other creative midfielders which is interesting. He’d also need to score more goals to justify a purely attacking role.

I’m disappointed we don’t see more shots from range from Pogba. I thought that was one of his skillsets.

Like that stupid effort against Sevilla with his left foot? No thanks. He takes plenty of boneheaded shots from range, at least 1 per game.

 

[Minimalist]

Like that stupid effort against Sevilla with his left foot? No thanks. He takes plenty of boneheaded shots from range, at least 1 per game.

Well I was obviously meaning on-target.

 

[Marcelinho87]

Why do people say stuff like this?

Jose winked, leaned forward to shake his hand then laughed and carried on with the interview without missing a beat.

Klopp on the other hand had a face like a smashed up toilet.

Harry Redknapp laughed, smiled and joked when he had the bucket tipped over his head all them years ago.... David Bentley never played again.

Not saying it is true, but I would not put it past Mourinho to get upset over such a thing.

 

[dirkey]

Well I was obviously meaning on-target.

There's such low percentage efforts though, long range ones. Even if they're on target, they're more than likely going to be saved by the keeper.

 

[Trizy]

Some of the comments .

He hasn't suddenly forgot how to play football. He'll be back sooner than later.

Also, why do people care so much about his hair cuts? Some fans, eh...

 

[mitchmouse]

Simply put: supposedly he's a world-class player who influences the outcome of games. I haven't seen it...

 

[Canagel]

I seriously believe pogba situation is very temporary and in no situation whats so ever we can afford to loose pobga. If we simply tweak our formation into a more diamond one and add a few players to our line up, i think we can have a different aproach to our games .

Add two new fullbacks, sell shaw and darmain and blind. Play central defense pair of baily and smalling. Matic as central defensive mid. We can also play fellaini or herrera in there. Mc tominay too can play in less pressure games .

Pogba as lm, perreira or maybe a new signing as rm, sanchez and mata can interchange for the tip of diamond. Front striker pair of any two between martial, lukaku and rashford.

We need 2 good fullbacks who can over lap, pogba wont cross sanches’s line. We have two strikers up front. We can make 3 central defensive players to form the triangle of defense.

This formation will be very possession based but it sure might make things exciting.

Agreed but we need to sign someone for the 10 role behind the strikers at the tip of the diamond. A hardworking creative goal scoring 10 like Sneidjer was at Inter Milan. The closest players I can think of are Eriksen or Fekir from Lyon but yeah we need someone there behind the two strikers. Sanchez should be considered for one of the striker spots up front and not the number 10 role. He isn't that player but upfront with a strike partner I'm sure he'll reproduce his best form from Arsenal. We also need another CB and sell either Smalling/Jones. So in total we need 2 fullbacks, a CB, a RM like you mentioned and a number 10. Possibly another DM as back up/rotation for Matic if Herrera leaves. Herrera isn't good enough to play on the RM. We need more creativity and guile there so the only place for him is back up for Matic in the DM position (Number 6).
This would be my ideal 11 for next season with new signings in Bold to fill in those positions:

DDG
Meunier Bailly Alderwiereld Sandro
Matic
Saul Pogba
Fekir
Lukaku Sanchez

Very good line up and we don't need any wingers for it. Just a couple top class fullbacks and CB plus 2 midfielders (1 RM and a 10) and the whole dynamic of our team will change. We already have Pogba and we have 4 top strikers with Lukaku and Sanchez plus Martial and Rashford so getting the best from them is what need to focus on.​

 

[RedDevil@84]

Simply put: supposedly he's a world-class player who influences the outcome of games. I haven't seen it...

This.

 

[Giggsyking]

Harry Redknapp laughed, smiled and joked when he had the bucket tipped over his head all them years ago.... David Bentley never played again.

Not saying it is true, but I would not put it past Mourinho to get upset over such a thing.

OMG, Zlatan did the same to Mourinho once and Mourinho did not care, but Pogba do it and he is disrespectful?

 

[Giggsyking]

A dip in form ( which I believe is totally structural and goes back to the coward manager) and everybody is jumping up and down screaming we must sell him. Pogba before joining us was number one wanted midfielder in the world. The likes of real Madrid and Barcelona were running after him because they know his quality. It is not his problem that united has a manager cant get the most of him, Alexis, Martial, Rashford and Lukaku who any team in the world would be more than happy to have.

 

[AltiUn]

Like what the previous person mentioned: Banega, Verratti, Neves, Pjanic.

KDB is unavailable. Let's just say Hazard is old.

But there are still bunch of players who may perform better than Pogba for at least 1-2 seasons: Tonis Kroos, Casemiro, Kante, James Rodriguez, Deli ali, Isco.

Verratti has a reputation that currently is better than his ability. Don't get me wrong, he's a good player maybe even a great one, but he's not exactly a Mourinho player; physically very short, has little to no defensive discipline, and most importantly has never really made an imprint when it mattered. In the later stages of the CL he often under-performs like the rest of the PSG squad. He has plenty of talent, but until he proves he capable of making a difference consistently it'd be a step sideways, plus he'd be better in a midfield with Pogba than taking his place.

Banega doesn't even start consistently for Sevilla, N'Zonzi is the only player from Sevilla worth mentioning taking a look at and he'd be played in Matic's position. I'd dispute most of those players mentioned being outright better than Pogba as it happens. Neves hasn't even played top flight football in one of the big leagues yet. Pjanic is a good player no doubt but he's also in his prime (28 in April), he also happens to be the only player mentioned who plays even a remotely similar role to Pogba in midfield.

All the other players mentioned would be players to play alongside Pogba, you wouldn't replace Pogba with Kroos in a midfield 3 because it'd throw off the balance of the team you'd play them in the same team. Players who are comparable to Pogba would be your Milinkovic-Savic, Rakitic, Gundogan types. Dele Alli isn't even a midfielder, he plays his best football as a second striker.

People have been talking a lot about replacing Pogba but it's far easier said than done, the attributes Pogba has are very rare, his application of said abilities is very questionable I'll admit but his blend of fantastic physicality mixed with some phenomenal technical abilities (his passing and vision are absolutely fantastic), also being at times impossible to dispossess. We're building the team around Pogba, whether people like it or not is up to them but it's plain to see. Talk of replacing him is way too premature, his potential is out of this world, if we can get the best out of him we'll go up a level comfortably. He's just not the sort of player you bin off easily, the investment we sank into him is a testament to that.

 

[AngliaRed]

Some of the comments .

He hasn't suddenly forgot how to play football. He'll be back sooner than later.

Also, why do people care so much about his hair cuts? Some fans, eh...

This! Embarrassing isnt it?

 

[VanHaal'sRedArmy]

Admittedly he's looked a shell of his former self the past few games, it's time for Paul to realize and play to his strengths. At Juve during his best season, he's been the no.10 creating chances and running through gaps to either receive the ball or take the shot. Although McTominay has been a revelation this season, he needs to play alongside a better controlling central midfielder (SMS, Jorginho, or Kroos for example) which will give him the freedom to go forward or drop deep on the left and central areas of the pitch.

 

[Frank Grimes]

That would be the case with anyone surely? If you lose a top midfielder and by another 2, then you have gained!

We are also likely losing Herrera and/or Fellaini and Carrick is retiring. I took it for granted that everyone knew this.

 

[Garethw]

This! Embarrassing isnt it?

It’s utterly pathetic mate.

 

[Canagel]

Was Matic the right midfielder we needed to free Pogba? Perhaps we needed a deeplying playmaking number 6 like Pirlo/Kroos instead of a destroyer type DM like Matic. The question is do we need a Pirlo type midfielder who will just sit deep and pull the strings/dictate play with his passing or should Matic continue his role and we sign a number 8 like Vidal/SMS/Saul instead? I have some doubts over whether Matic has the fitness to cope with another season as the sole DM. Even last year he had Kante alongside who was covering ground whilst Matic focused on breaking up the play and intercepting. We've signed Matic to free up Pogba but maybe Matic is the one who needs to be freed up.

 

[Cliche Guevara]

Was Matic the right midfielder we needed to free Pogba? Perhaps we needed a deeplying playmaking number 6 like Pirlo/Kroos instead of a destroyer type DM like Matic. The question is do we need a Pirlo type midfielder who will just sit deep and pull the strings/dictate play with his passing or should Matic continue his role and we sign a number 8 like Vidal/SMS/Saul instead. I have some doubts over whether Matic has the fitness to cope with another season as the sole DM. Even last year he had Kante alongside who was covering ground whilst Matic focused on breaking up the play and intercepting. We've signed Matic to free up Pogba but maybe Matic is the one who needs to be freed up.

I said something similar earlier. Despite Matic being a good player, and doing well, he potentially creates more of a problem in terms of how he fits in with other players and the way the team wants to play.

 

[breakout67]

Was Matic the right midfielder we needed to free Pogba? Perhaps we needed a deeplying playmaking number 6 like Pirlo/Kroos instead of a destroyer type DM like Matic. The question is do we need a Pirlo type midfielder who will just sit deep and pull the strings/dictate play with his passing or should Matic continue his role and we sign a number 8 like Vidal/SMS/Saul instead? I have some doubts over whether Matic has the fitness to cope with another season as the sole DM. Even last year he had Kante alongside who was covering ground whilst Matic focused on breaking up the play and intercepting. We've signed Matic to free up Pogba but maybe Matic is the one who needs to be freed up.

Fabregas worked with Matic. This constant excuse making for Pogba is annoying.

Pogba was doing fine with Matic earlier in the season, then all of a sudden turned into a player that jogged around like he was on the training ground.

We have seen already with the emergence of McTominay that Matic has a perfectly fine engine when another midfielder actually helps him like midfielder's are supposed to.

It is impossible for a player to be a 1 man midfield, that is the only reason Matic looked like he was carrying a bag of cement for 1-2 months, he had to cover the whole midfield by himself.

 

[hellohello]

Verratti has a reputation that currently is better than his ability. Don't get me wrong, he's a good player maybe even a great one, but he's not exactly a Mourinho player; physically very short, has little to no defensive discipline, and most importantly has never really made an imprint when it mattered. In the later stages of the CL he often under-performs like the rest of the PSG squad. He has plenty of talent, but until he proves he capable of making a difference consistently it'd be a step sideways, plus he'd be better in a midfield with Pogba than taking his place.

Banega doesn't even start consistently for Sevilla, N'Zonzi is the only player from Sevilla worth mentioning taking a look at and he'd be played in Matic's position. I'd dispute most of those players mentioned being outright better than Pogba as it happens. Neves hasn't even played top flight football in one of the big leagues yet. Pjanic is a good player no doubt but he's also in his prime (28 in April), he also happens to be the only player mentioned who plays even a remotely similar role to Pogba in midfield.

All the other players mentioned would be players to play alongside Pogba, you wouldn't replace Pogba with Kroos in a midfield 3 because it'd throw off the balance of the team you'd play them in the same team. Players who are comparable to Pogba would be your Milinkovic-Savic, Rakitic, Gundogan types. Dele Alli isn't even a midfielder, he plays his best football as a second striker.

People have been talking a lot about replacing Pogba but it's far easier said than done, the attributes Pogba has are very rare, his application of said abilities is very questionable I'll admit but his blend of fantastic physicality mixed with some phenomenal technical abilities (his passing and vision are absolutely fantastic), also being at times impossible to dispossess. We're building the team around Pogba, whether people like it or not is up to them but it's plain to see. Talk of replacing him is way too premature, his potential is out of this world, if we can get the best out of him we'll go up a level comfortably. He's just not the sort of player you bin off easily, the investment we sank into him is a testament to that.

The issue isn't what midfielder is better than Pogba when Pogba performs, the issue is that lately Pogba has been dominated by players like Shelvey.