[klayton88]

It's amazing the amount of people throw the 'not fit' excuse around. He's been losing the ball in possession his whole career. 5 times a game minimum he'll give it away and always has, how does fitness factor in to that?

 

[Icemav]

Poor at the holding midfield role.

Should be sold as we already have Bruno and Donny in his preferred position and instead invest in top quality holding mids.

 

[Hugh Jass]

I think it is pressure, as in he has Performance Anxiety.

I think that he looks brilliant in training, when there is no pressure, and that is why Ole picked him to start. But then in the real match, the pressure gets to him badly and he cannot perform. He looked today like he was hyperventilating and thus could not run at all.

I think as well if he went to Bayern or PSG he would suddenly look world class again because Bayern and PSG basically have a monopoly in their retrospective leagues and thus there is less pressure on him. He would put less pressure on himself to play good and hence would play better.

Do you ever notice that when we are winning by three or more goals, he suddenly comes good. Everything starts clicking. That is because the pressure is now off. No pressure, equals no anxiety, which equals a better performance.

At Juve he looked good for exactly what i said in the third paragraph, in that six or seven years ago, when he was at Juve, they were just light years agead of everyone else in the league and thus there was less pressure on him.

Personally i think we should let him go.

 

[pratyush_utd]

It's amazing the amount of people throw the 'not fit' excuse around. He's been losing the ball in possession his whole career. 5 times a game minimum he'll give it away and always has, how does fitness factor in to that?

I guess you know better than Ole



Find me one player in football who doesn't "lose ball". With Pogba some on this forum, lose their mind.

 

[klayton88]

I guess you know better than Ole



Find me one player in football who doesn't "lose ball". With Pogba some on this forum, lose their mind.

Nobody in premiership football loses the ball as much as Pogba. I've not seen stats but I don't need to You also miss my point. How does being unfit contribute to you losing possession stood still with the ball? Sprinting etc maybe, but I'm talking stood still fannying about with the ball and he loses it has nothing to do with being fit or unfit.

 

[Augustus Gloop]

God he’s dreadful. Has a Hollywood pass in him but that’s it.

 

[RuudTom83]

Sometimes having 4 very attacking forwards makes it hard for the 2 guys playing behind in CM.

When Greenwood needs a rest I'd push Bruno onto the right and play Pogba in front of 2 CM.

Paul's attacking qualities are completely underused in the current setup.

 

[Devil81]

I'm in agreement with a lot on here, he's a show pony with world class ability but he thinks he's better then he actually is.

Keep it simple, two touch football there is no one better but for some strange reason, Ole is letting him play like he's playing five aside with his mates. Constantly trying to hold onto the ball when he's not good enough to do that, your screaming at the screen in the hope he releases it as you know he's going to lose it.

Me personally if we got offered 80 million tomorrow I'd take it and buy a consistent replacement, someone without an overinflated ego and someone who knows his job and sticks to it.

 

[Amadaeus]

He looks a much better player playing the free role behind the striker, rather than deeper in the midfield. Saved Ole his job when he was still interim. Don’t think we will see the best of him until he plays that role again.

 

[matherto]

I just wouldn’t be bothered if he wasn’t a United player and I think that’s damning.

Matic and Bruno stand out more and perhaps that’s a positional thing but we could do with a ball recycler that doesn’t take all the useless chances Pogba does in possession. He’s offering nothing in this current setup but frustration, both for him and for us.

If we’d have gotten Thiago it wouldn’t be Matic sacrificed for him to start.

 

[RedRonaldo]

He just recovered from COVID-19, I wouldn't be too harsh on him yet.

 

[VP89]

He looks a much better player playing the free role behind the striker, rather than deeper in the midfield. Saved Ole his job when he was still interim. Don’t think we will see the best of him until he plays that role again.

He's not better than Bruno in that role, so he either plays where he is or moves on.

 

[Van Piorsing]

Almost like Bambi on ice.

Ole needs to start callibrating him or Woodward will be more happy to get club's money back for his transfer.

 

[Classical Mechanic]

Weird management by Ole, if he‘s well off the pace because of fitness play him in the bloody league cup to get some fitness. Can’t have passengers in the PL.

 

[rollingstoned1]

If he isn't fit ole how about don't start him? He will lose the ball anyway but we aint stripped for options there.

 

[bosnian_red]

He just recovered from COVID-19, I wouldn't be too harsh on him yet.

Then don't start him if he isn't fit. Can't use covid as an excuse when this level of performance has been a lot closer to the standard for him since he joined.

 

[CG1010]

Weird management by Ole, if he‘s well off the pace because of fitness play him in the bloody league cup to get some fitness. Can’t have passengers in the PL.

This.

 

[VivaObertan]

As a medical professional, I'm completely convinced that COVID has screwed up his start to the season. It looks like it is still affecting his body, lots of folks who have gotten the virus have complained of persistent symptoms after "recovering" from it.

Really frustrating as a fan, but there is a medical explanation to it. VDB should start in place of him for now.

Non-medical professional but that's what I thought too.

I caught COVID in Jan and struggled playing football for 6-8 weeks after. Because the virus wasn't well publicized in Western Europe at this time they thought I'd got Asthma!

 

[rollingstoned1]

I think I can finally say that Pogba’s lack of contribution to Manchester United is no longer the Elephant in the Room!

Indeed too often people here have acted as though he is doing us a favor by representing us out there. I had nagging suspicions he was overrated even when we signed him and while he has produced sporadically nothing since has convinced me otherwise. For the money we paid we should have had peak Vieira and yaya toure rolled into 1 player, all we get the is odd killer through ball and gazelle esque run that has this place purring, when he regularly fails to do the midfield heavy lifting that he really ought to be doing.

 

[RedRonaldo]

Then don't start him if he isn't fit. Can't use covid as an excuse when this level of performance has been a lot closer to the standard for him since he joined.

But he did really have COVID-19 not long ago. It isn't really just a minor issue, takes time to recover from it, and this thing does feck up the whole world right now.

 

[bosnian_red]

But he did really have COVID-19 not long ago.

Sure. Likely that he also had no symptoms at all, considering he went right into training right after the mandatory quarantine. He's been back to training for 3 weeks, it's on him and Ole for whatever the situation is, if he's not fit then don't start him, but either way that level of performance is way too low.

 

[Zlaatan]

If this is his level when he's not fully fit then don't play him, I'd much rather see Fred in there to give us some energy instead of a Pogba who is trying to get up to 100% by half-arsing it.

 

[RedRonaldo]

Sure. Likely that he also had no symptoms at all, considering he went right into training right after the mandatory quarantine. He's been back to training for 3 weeks, it's on him and Ole for whatever the situation is, if he's not fit then don't start him, but either way that level of performance is way too low.

Well that's up to Ole. I don't think we should play him at all, to be honest. He is clearly not fit.

 

[Litch]

World class player being completely mismanaged. Clearly not fit and should be coming on and not starting.

 

[sammsky1]

I guess you know better than Ole



Find me one player in football who doesn't "lose ball". With Pogba some on this forum, lose their mind.

I expect Ole to support him in public because that’s what an excellent man manager does. OGS has to somehow cajole some consistency out of him

But the situation has long passed that Pogba’s lack of effectiveness is because of Ole’s coaching. By this stage in his career, and given all the managerial influences he has had, Pogba should have the complete toolkit now to thrive within any system and not require having his hand held.

my other complaint is not only is Pogna wildly inconsistent, his bottom level is really really low. Scholes was asked once about how you define a quality player and he said you should look at their bottom level to gain an insight.

I can only hope that it is Covid that is still affecting him because otherwise he is now quickly regressing. (what a strange hope! I wish him the best of heath and a rapid recovery)

 

[sammsky1]

World class player being completely mismanaged. Clearly not fit and should be coming on and not starting.

He really isn’t world class and you should really stop affording him such a status.

 

[Borys]

If Ole plays this right, he will bench him using the Covid as an excuse.

I've seen enough of Matic - Pogba - Bruno midfield, I think we should use this situation to try something different. Pogba is never going to excell that deep, that's why we should definitely consider replacing him.

 

[Tel074]

I just wouldn’t be bothered if he wasn’t a United player and I think that’s damning.

Matic and Bruno stand out more and perhaps that’s a positional thing but we could do with a ball recycler that doesn’t take all the useless chances Pogba does in possession. He’s offering nothing in this current setup but frustration, both for him and for us.

If we’d have gotten Thiago it wouldn’t be Matic sacrificed for him to start.

Yeah I agree . If we sold him tomorrow I wouldn't be arsed at all and that says everything. Yeah Ole isn't helping things playing him in the role he does but his performances and mostly poor since he joined the club

 

[bosnian_red]

World class player being completely mismanaged. Clearly not fit and should be coming on and not starting.

He's not world class. He has world class talent, but he has never put it all together and put in consistent world class performances. Thats a pure fact.

 

[Van Piorsing]

World class player being completely mismanaged. Clearly not fit and should be coming on and not starting.

Wasn't Deschamps blamed heavily after lost WC final for putting Pogba in wrong position ?

Looks like somehow he's still difficult player to manage, despite so much data on him and what system he likes to play.

 

[James Peril]

Nobody in premiership football loses the ball as much as Pogba. I've not seen stats but I don't need to You also miss my point. How does being unfit contribute to you losing possession stood still with the ball? Sprinting etc maybe, but I'm talking stood still fannying about with the ball and he loses it has nothing to do with being fit or unfit.

Makes provocative statement, does not have the stats to back it up. Probably says more about you than Pogba I guess.

 

[Tel074]

World class player being completely mismanaged. Clearly not fit and should be coming on and not starting.

World class at what exactly? He is without doubt one of the most overrated players I've ever seen in my life . He never bosses a game even against inferior opposition . He's world class at social media and getting the Pogba brand everywhere

 

[The Cat]

Tell Madrid they have 1 week to come up with 75m to sign him, use the money to get Sancho and we would look a far better team far more often.

Of course the likelyhood is the 75m would disappear anyway.

 

[JPRouve]

Wasn't Deschamps blamed heavily after lost WC final for putting Pogba in wrong position ?

Looks like somehow he's still difficult player to manage, despite so much data on him and what system he likes to play.

Is that sarcasm?

 

[Van Piorsing]

Is that sarcasm?

The best way to find out is to try 4-3-3 or wait for fitness to come or change of role in existing one.

If none of this work we might have an old Paul Pogba problem. Real f*ckin enigma this one.

 

[Bobcat]

That was a genuine 1/10 performance. If he struggles with fitness, fair enough, but he needs to do much, much better than that because he was literally the worst player on the pitch by a mile and that takes some doing when pretty much everyone else was dogshit too

 

[JPRouve]

The best way to find out is to try 4-3-3 or wait for fitness to come or change of role in existing one.

If none of this work we might have an old Paul Pogba problem. Real f*ckin enigma this one.

I meant that France won the WC and Pogba was arguably the best player during the final. Deschamps was a national hero after the WC.

 

[Classical Mechanic]

I meant that France won the WC and Pogba was arguably the best player during the final. Deschamps was a national hero after the WC.

Probably means the EC final. France played with Kante and Matuidi in the WC final. This is why I worry he‘s incompatible with Bruno as you need a couple of water carriers to support him.

 

[Van Piorsing]

I meant that France won the WC and Pogba was arguably the best player during the final. Deschamps was a national hero after the WC.

I meant Euro final vs Portugal. My bad.

 

[DrRodo]

Right, in that, he and you are just searching for excuses.
It could be he is just be playing rubbish, its not like he hasn't looked like this before....
The way people talk about its like he was Kante before he got Covid..

As i stated in a later post, i don't think he should be starting in this form. No one sane could think that