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2020-21 Performances

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6.0 Season Average Rating
Appearances
42
Goals
6
Assists
6
Yellow cards
9
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I wonder what the plan is here? Could we see a January move?

With a fully fit squad I think it looks quite clear he isn't part of the desired starting group in the big games. I get it from Ole's view with his choices for the midfield two given what he contributes defensively and if you were to play him in attack he'd be at best on the left where Rashford currently plays. So it does look tough to fit him in with the squad as is, at the same time, I doubt he'll be alright with being a rotational player for a season.
 
MyOnlySolskjaer said:
How do you not play Pogba against Leeds’s high defensive line?
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Because their high pressing would have Pogba wrestling with players all afternoon taking an age on the ball.
You think he'd have had a better game than McTominay??
 
sammsky1 said:
Meh. Am not bothered if he plays or if he doesn’t. He’s a squad option not a match winner.
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Pretty much this. People are finally starting to see he is not an important player in this team. He's an option, not a guaranteed starter, and I'm happy Ole seems to be thinking the same.
 
lex talionis said:
To be fair, Leeds were a perfect opponent for Pogba to shine against. It could just as easily have been Pogba ghosting in for the first two goals.
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Genuine question, has Pogba even scored goals like the first two for us? Where his positioning is on point and he uses it to move in and drives home a finish. This is the one thing that has absolutely not been in Pogba's locker his entire time here.
 
Borys said:
The only reason why I'd play him is to rest Bruno - in the AM role, and he will get a chance to shine. Maybe I didn't make myself clear. There is no place in midfield for him as far as I'm concerned.
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Aha. In which case i agree, though I suspect if that happens we will be chasing a game and
Bruno will have to come on and save us. Again
 
I was wondering, obviously Pogba would prefer to play in Bruno's position, I understand that but Bruno only just arrived, did Pogba shine in that position before consistently for United since he's been here at least 3 years I think before Bruno arrived? Obviously would have loved to see both permanently in the first team.
 
People say Ole is soft. Pogba had two decent games on the bounce for us (3 if you include the impact he made from the bench against Leipzig) and he didn't get any minutes today when most, including myself, thought he'd start.

No doubt he'll start the next game but it's nice to see Ole making big decisions, especially with that cnut agent of his chatting shite.
 
ghaliboy said:
Genuine question, has Pogba even scored goals like the first two for us? Where his positioning is on point and he uses it to move in and drives home a finish. This is the one thing that has absolutely not been in Pogba's locker his entire time here.
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Pogba has scored goals like that for us. But not often enough. I’m on board with cashing in on our World Cup winner, unless he’s truly committed to the cause.
 
lex talionis said:
Pogba has scored goals like that for us. But not often enough. I’m on board with cashing in on our World Cup winner, unless he’s truly committed to the cause.
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I can't really remember him scoring a goal like that from around the edge of the area running onto it. Maybe he has, but you are correct. Not enough and really as a midfielder of his calibre he should be doing it a lot.
 
Pogba wasn't suited for this game. They would have pressed him like crazy and he tends to lose the ball very cheaply in dangerous positions.

Great decision to not start him and better to keep him as an unused sub. It's just not his game. He will definitely play against Everton as a starter I believe.

Not sure if he will be content with being a rotational option in and out of the team for the remainder of the season but this is just better for everyone. In some games we need to play Scott and Fred together for better balance and control of the game and in some others we can be more offensive with Pogba instead of Scott if the opposition isn't a big team or high pressing one.
 
el3mel said:
Pogba wasn't suited for this game. They would have pressed him like crazy and he tends to lose the ball very cheaply in dangerous positions.

Great decision to not start him and better to keep him as an unused sub. It's just not his game. He will definitely play against Everton as a starter I believe.

Not sure if he will be content with being a rotational option in and out of the team for the remainder of the season but this is just better for everyone. In some games we need to play Scott and Fred together for better balance and control of the game and in some others we can be more offensive with Pogba instead of Scott if the opposition isn't a big team or high pressing one.
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It would have been an exceptionally tough game for him. He could of course have created goals but the pressing would given him fits and like you I have no doubt he would have lost the ball in dangerous areas several times.

Ole is now managing Pogba and the squad very very well. Irrespective of resting players, Pogba is not Roy Keane or Zidane. We want to win games and as you rightly point out sometimes its best that he is not on the pitch.
 
MyOnlySolskjaer said:
I wouldn’t have predicted McTominay to play like this before the game. I posted this before the game.
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It was always obvious that Pogba would be risky in this game though. Yes his passing may have helped unleash our counter attacks and ripped them apart, but it was equally likely (perhaps even more so) that his tendency to get take too long on the ball and get dispossessed in dangerous areas would have been highlighted.

VDB was the one I was originally expecting to play as he tends to be good at playing through a high press, but his poor performance off the bench in the last game may have cost him. Worked out well for us anyway as McTominay probably had his best all-round match.
 
ghaliboy said:
Genuine question, has Pogba even scored goals like the first two for us? Where his positioning is on point and he uses it to move in and drives home a finish. This is the one thing that has absolutely not been in Pogba's locker his entire time here.
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West Ham last week?

Also, the two goals against City spring to mind, but the same question can be asked of Fred and Matic, who play in the same role.

Based on yesterday, at least one of our pivot should make forward runs, especially McT and Pogba, but more often than not, they are tasked with protecting the back four and disributing from deep, hence why we dont see a lot of goals from them

Having said that, the Leeds man to man marking system lent itself perfectly to allow us to run off the balls - decoy runs if anything else. This was something Ole worked on and we saw that yesterday.
 
Walters_19_MuFc said:
West Ham last week?
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Yeah that's a pretty good shout actually, minus the movement freeing himself up and creating the chance. He more arrived late (reeeaaaal late, but a superb welly none the less) on that one. The City ones go back to 2018 in the brace he got and one of those was quite neat movement that made the goal, a little different as it was inside the box.

Walters_19_MuFc said:
Also, the two goals against City spring to mind, but the same question can be asked of Fred and Matic, who play in the same role.
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I don't think they really play the same role personally, both play the 6 role in very different ways. Matic looks to anchor, Fred tries to drive the team forward in different ways on the ball and Pogba likes to draw players on and pass through the lines.

Walters_19_MuFc said:
Having said that, the Leeds man to man marking system lent itself perfectly to allow us to run off the balls
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This is an excellent point and validated the tactical decisions to play Fred and McTominy and both ask them to push up field with the ball. I would hazard a guess that if Pogba was selected that Beilsa would have set up to deny him the time and space on the ball and closed up the midfield. I think it was a stroke of genius asking McFred to push out that only comes in a tactical scenario rather than as a staple of their game (that and have a one two punch you leeds cnuts an start the game 0-2 down definitely helped). I would not be surprised if there was a little sneaky bait and switch going on there tactically with Pogba's role/setup compared to McFred that disrupted the setup from Leeds.
 
Toi be fair this is the kind of performance we were all waiting for from him, a high pressing midfield where he can take control and push us forward with his bursting runs and insightful passing where we obliterate the opposition and score a bucket load.

Oh hang on.
 
ghaliboy said:
I can't really remember him scoring a goal like that from around the edge of the area running onto it. Maybe he has, but you are correct. Not enough and really as a midfielder of his calibre he should be doing it a lot.
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You can go to YouTube and find some insane goals from outside the box Pogba scored for United. But not enough, as we all agree, and it’s incredibly frustrating that he’s a player who’s so talented and physically powerful, and of course experienced, but prone to mental indifference far too often.
 
lex talionis said:
You can go to YouTube and find some insane goals from outside the box Pogba scored for United. But not enough, as we all agree, and it’s incredibly frustrating that he’s a player who’s so talented and physically powerful, and of course experienced, but prone to mental indifference far too often.
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The criteria isn't "he scored from outside the box". Yes there hasn't been many of them because the criteria I was talking about was using intelligent movement during the build up to roll onto a shooting chance on goal, which Pogba has rarely provided during his time at the club. Half the piece of the puzzle is also is that players have to find him, so also chicken and egg on that one.

TheReligion said:
He scored one last week too.
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Lumbering into position late to shoot on goal is not the same type of goal we're discussing, just as goals from a corner taking several touches isn't either.
 
ghaliboy said:
The criteria isn't "he scored from outside the box". Yes there hasn't been many of them because the criteria I was talking about was using intelligent movement during the build up to roll onto a shooting chance on goal, which Pogba has rarely provided during his time at the club. Half the piece of the puzzle is also is that players have to find him, so also chicken and egg on that one.



Lumbering into position late to shoot on goal is not the same type of goal we're discussing, just as goals from a corner taking several touches isn't either.
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It's not that hard to find intelligent runs by Pogba that led to goals he either scored or created. Anyone with access to YouTube can find them quickly.

The issue is the infrequency with which Pogba displays such intelligence with his runs, whether because of his perception that United are nowhere near being able to challenge for major honors or whatever. But on those days when he's "up for it", Pogba displays not only unbelievable talent but incredible intelligence in his runs in the final third.

Where there seems to be universal consensus on the caf, which I agree with, is that Pogba is up for it far too seldom.
 
Let’s not be fooled by Pogba. Leopard doesn’t change its spots, couple of good games as a result of increased intensity but will slacken off again soon until the next time
 
ghaliboy said:
Feel free to find them.
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  • 2.44 nutmeg then drive into box.
  • 2:56 winning pen vs. Spurs
  • 3.33 winning pen vs. Wolves.


Ones he's directly scored:
  • 1.05 8 vs. Crystal Palace
  • 1:37 11 vs. Swansea
  • 1.52 13 vs. Man City
  • 2.02 14 vs. Man City
  • 4.03 28 vs. Fulham
  • 4.16 29 vs. Chelsea


Missed Assists:
  • 5:30
  • 5:40
  • 5:44
  • 6:16
  • 6:51
  • 7:11
  • 7:25
  • 7:31
Assists:


  • 1:41 vs. Crystal Palace
  • 5:20 vs. Newcastle
  • 6:58 vs. Arsenal
  • 10:05 vs. Bournemouth

  • 1:28 assist Martial.

  • 0:13 assist Greenwood.
 
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TheReligion said:
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Good run and good finish. Again, though not really like the goal(s) we're talking about from the 8 position. Having to go back to 2018 really continues to cement the narrative that there aren't/weren't enough of these moments during his time here.

Much like @Majima the post above, not really many selections there of what we're talking about in terms of midfield movement creating goals. But good post, good to rewatch some old bangers and top play from him though. Really gives a contrast to some of the laborious dross he's served up in the last 8-12 months.
 
Everton 0:2 Man Utd
Brilliant from him tonight.
 
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