My word we have wasted this man's talents, imagine a Van Persie or Van Nistelrooy on the end of these chances created, wouldn't be in half the problems we currently are, ah well whats been is gone.
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My word we have wasted this man's talents, imagine a Van Persie or Van Nistelrooy on the end of these chances created, wouldn't be in half the problems we currently are, ah well whats been is gone.
Has he officially started training yet?
Next week Ole says.
Every creative player has similar highlights. Scholes will have infinite numbers with Rooney etc messing up an exquisite through ball.
Cheers mate. Contrary to many, i can't wait to see him back in the team playing
Sorry but Pogba/Raiola have gone too far for me. Dont want to see Pogba in the shirt again or Raiola anywhere near Old Trafford again.
As a lot of people predicted he will be back for a few games at the end of the season to warm up for the Euros. 3/4 weeks out, Ole said 3 months ago.
As a lot of people predicted he will be back for a few games at the end of the season to warm up for the Euros. 3/4 weeks out, Ole said 3 months ago.
He'll be going in the summer - when he comes back if he applies himself and gets us into CL then that would be for the best.
Oh no! a player got tackled I shudder at the thoughthe lost the ball in their half ffs.(due to a good tackle while he was going forward) thank god we had a solid defense behind him to mop it up like other teams... oh wait we didn't.
He lost it in the half way line... not from a tackle but by being pressed and him dwelling on the ball. The same defence has kept 6 clean sheets this year.
We should just stop announcing unrealistic return dates for injured players. It just creates more unrest in the fanbase, because the media love to stir shit up.
He wasn't dwelling though was he? Watch it again. He does a cruyff turn away from his marker, then the striker chases him back as he's moving towards goal and tackles him from his blindside. He's looking up for a pass forward as everybody is standing inside the box with no quick option.
You can twist things how you like but it won't make it true. Yes he got tackled but blaming him for the goal is pathetic considering there was a lot of time after before they scored.
Its true, they live on special moments in the game. Honestly, I would love it if Pogba was delivering these special moments and working his socks off. He would become a special player.
Maybe he needs the right manager, or the as all fan boys say players around him to unleash him?
In contrast Bruno has come in and unleashed everyone else.
Pogba on song is a joy to watch, and I love seeing him. But Pogba on song is about 50% of his games and given his injury record(s) the actual amount of quality time we get from him on the field for his salary is ridiculously low.
I think 50% is being incredibly generous. No question he has the ability to do things most of our players can't but in terms of being the difference maker, I agree, what we get out of him compared to reputation/salary/hype etc is really low.
And after nearly 4 years of it, I'm not sure why some people think everything will suddenly change because Bruno Fernandes has added some quality. If anything, it should show that having 2/3 motivated 'lesser' players instead of Pogba could make us a much better team than trying to continually accommodate him, largely for mediocre success at best.
I think this is probably a fair assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of both players. I think it’s a bit harsh on Martial in particular though, as he is a forward. To dismiss a forward player as someone who essentially only wants to impact the result is a bit off as his very job is to produce the moments that matter.
Regarding Pogba, I think it’s true of him, although exaggerated on this forum to fit some sort of narrative. He is no Mesut Ozil, for example, and gets far more involved in the flow of the game than is implied. We don’t really have games where he barely touches the ball or anything. On the contrary, he is on the ball the most in our whole team, and it is clear that the whole team look to pass him the ball at every opportunity. His cameo against Watford is a snapshot. He saw the most of the ball when he came on. Everything switched to him, and to his credit, he did produce a few very high quality moments in that time. But aside from them, he was on the ball, circulating it etc.
What I think is overlooked is that a 3 man midfield is supposed to divide the duties of a functioning midfield. I’m not sure what the other two are supposed to be doing if the criticism remains that Pogba ‘only creates lots of chances but doesn’t control the game or win the ball back enough’. At Juventus, where people seem to think he was at his best, but a midfield whose duties are split between Pogba, Vidal and Pirlo (and Marchisio even) does not expect Pogba to create all the chances, ‘control the tempo of a game’ (afootballing cliché thatI hate!) and make all the tackles.
What I think is fair to say is that in his principle role as creator, he cannot be accused of not consistently creating. And I don’t even think the conditions have been great for him to create - being in a team with poor movement and at times technique and asked to be the only player to create.
Now Pogba is not to be absolved of all blame, not at all. He has weaknesses in his game. I will never deny them, but my point is that he also has strengths. Considerable ones. People seem mostly concerned with everything he is not the best at, while having very little time to discuss the things that he does very well - and those things, he does better than everyone in this league apart from Kevin de Bruyne. They are not trivial things either, they are things a top team needs, and need them done to the level and consistency that Pogba does them at. They also need someone to tackle and press, I agree. But there are also 2 other midfielders, and I repeat - Pogba is not Mesut Ozil, he will not simply allow you to walk past him either andI do think the lack of defensive work (in the context of him being the creative midfielder) is exaggerated. Generally, when I see his stats for running and possession won -they are respectable for a midfielder of his nature. Maybe not as high as the midfielders next to him, but nobody ever cares that that same midfielder does not have as impressive stats as Pogba in other areas in which stats are recorded - like passing and scoring. Those things matter too, and a functioning midfield has components of different strengths, naturally. I don’t see why McTominay or Fred’s strengths are so much more important than Pogba’s. Bruno coming in and offering some of the things we have missed in the absence of Pogba has shown this. We’ve had runners and tacklers all season. We’ve had no quality. We need that just as much.
Nice to see such comments. I personally can't wait either. Pogba is an epitome of a midfielder and i think he along with Bruno will rule all. I think Pogba now knows that we have a decent side and can become a great one with a few additions. I hope he changes his mind and stays with us further than the current contract. I think we can win titles with or without him but with him in the team, it will be sweeter. WHAT SAY JOSE?! Well i don't want to know! hahaha.
I would counter with one main point. I know that creative players are by their nature more profligate because they take chances. A team wants and needs them to. But there are parts of the pitch where they have to do a functional job for the team. Both these players struggle to do this which places big pressure on the team as a machine.
Watching Pogba and Martial give the ball away cheaply and weakly in central areas of the pitch through very poor basics and attitude is where they fail as top players. Its not a small failing either.
Factually untrue. Also naïve of Ole to say somoene getting surgery would be back playing in 4 weeks. Use the oul noggin.
So an easy prediction to make considering he was due back. Hardly some mastermind conspiracy.
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I think that had less to do with the his helium balloon of an agent and more about the players personality and character.
Those over the top balls are designed for Van Persie.
It is a small failing though. Because otherwise, the implication is that in our team, Pogba is a player you cannot trust to pass the ball to under pressure or something. Which isn’t true. 9/10, he will take it, under pressure if needed, and pass it to a teammate. His losses of possession do occur, my point is that they are massively exaggerated on Redcafe. There seems to be some sort of tendency to define/summarise him as a player who gives the ball away. Which is a massive disservice to the player.
Not as stupid as yours Einstein. Bodies react differently to injuries?! I bet people react to injuries differently which was the point of the post.
When shall we stop being in denial about Pogba having the slightest desire to ever put the shirt on again?
He’s just at training smiling everyday with his teammates but doesn’t want to play at the weekends. Because, of course, he hates Manchester United.
Never said he hates Manchester United did I? You introduced those words for whatever reason but why not I always encourage creativity. I'm not faulting him for wanting to leave he's entitled to do what he feels is best for his career but ffs if it's not clear at this point that he doesnt want to be here when will it be?!
He's been given a 9 to 5 mon to fri contract. Just watch, once we get a 2pm kickoff on a weekday he'll play.
Him ‘wanting to leave me is not the point though. You said that he doesn’t want to play for us again, which is very different, as he obviously cannot leave right now. Sancho wants to leave Dortmund in the summer. It’s common knowledge. That does not mean that if he sustains an injury before the summer it is because he has no desire to play anymore. Which is what you said, as opposed to Pogba wants to leave in the next available window. We are not in the next available window now.
Him alongside Fernandes can only benefit our chances of a trophy and potentially a top four spot.
Get him back in.
Get him back in.
Well, even the most cynical would have to admit that he'll want to get his match fitness back for the Euros.
What exactly is his injury?
It’s an ankle injury. All the details of which I do not have, as I’m Rozay from Hackney. His doctor and surgeon probably have more detail I’m afraid.
Yes! For Madrid or PSG!
No, he's secretly switched religions, to both Catholicism and Seventh-day Adventists and is now irreparably conflicted with playing on any weekend day.
My worry is that, yet again, no one will make an offer for him because hes not worth it.
Can't wait to see him back. Watching high energy plodders is fine if that's what you like. But for me, Pogba alongside Bruno is a exciting thought and I'm counting down the days to his return. Below is a vid for people who value craft, guile and skill.
It shouldn't but it'll really annoy me if he comes back into the team, does brilliantly with Bruno then fecks off in summer
I think if he does that i'd be fine, because it'll mean we likely make top 4 which is gonna benefit the club we all love. But I wouldn't be surprised if he stayed and signed a new contract either mate. If we manage to sign the likes of Sancho and Grealish and possibly a top class DM like Denis Zakaria I think that could sway him to stay.It shouldn't but it'll really annoy me if he comes back into the team, does brilliantly with Bruno then fecks off in summer
Bingo. Players like Pogba and Neymar are what the game is about IMO.
Take away all the off media BS and just enjoy them for what they are on the pitch - genius at work.
Yeah that's true, I've honestly no doubt that he'll come into the team and we'll immediately look better, I'm assuming Solskjaer will be playing him deep so having someone with his passing range further down the pitch will help us immensely now we've got Bruno picking up the slack in the final third.
Like you said, he could probably be convinced if we signed Sancho and a quality DM (personally don't know too much about Zakaria) but those two positions are the biggest holes, maybe LB if Shaw's just going through a purple patch, then I think we're looking at the healthiest squad we've had since we last won the league. From what's been reported, he wants to compete for trophies and I really don't think we're as far away as some would have you believe.
Hypothetically, if Pogba doesn't leave I'm not sure I can see us going for Grealish as basically all his strongest positions will already be occupied by (IMO) a better player, if he's happy to rotate though that'd be very welcome as quality depth wins you titles.
Well ignoring the fact he's barely been on the pitch this season, we've seen precious little genius from Pogba in 4 years. I genuinely don't get how people can compare Pogba to, well any 'star' player...as someone who has watched pretty much every game of his I'm that time, I'm continually amazed that people lump Pogba with the best players in the world.
I think the hype and media BS you talk of is the only thing that pushes Pogba into that level. "Genius levels"...absolute bollocks.
Precisely.
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