Ndidi is limited. Not a United player.What we're really missing is our very own Ndidi.
Unfortunately, few can match Ndidi's insane defensive statistics - Tchouameni comes pretty close, though:
6
Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 42
- Goals
- 6
- Assists
- 6
- Yellow cards
- 9
- Status
Pogba will probably be sold after the Euros, but in the unlikely event that he stays for another season, we need to find a way of getting him and Bruno in the same side, without leaving us completely soft in the middle. That means finding a defensive superman - someone who can do the ball recovery & defensive screening work of two ordinary midfielders.
Of course that player isn't Ndidi - there's no way we could afford him anyway - but we do need someone to replace Matic, a Casemiro/Fernandinho/Fabinho type. Neither Fred nor McTominay can cut it alongside Pogba & Bruno.
If Bruno is extremely inconsistent what is pogba haha
Similar, both have had good patches of form. I don’t think Bruno has performance wise been consistently good for more than 5/6 games. Pogba has been more consistent than that but had less of an impact.
Obviously
Amazing performance from Pogba so far. Very matured movement and passing. Quick witted as well!
Good we have smart asses like you then
I am quite certain that he will walk away for free next season. I think I actually prefer that to offering him £400k / week.
We should forget about accommodating him in the 11 and use him as Bruno backup for a season. Or as a super sub to make an impact.
We should forget about accommodating him in the 11 and use him as Bruno backup for a season. Or as a super sub to make an impact.
You won't get many agreeing with you that pogba has been more consistent than Fernandes in the United jersey, but fair enough
No because people don’t look at the games on a game by game basis. A few of us on here talked about how Pogbas season would be looked back on and felt it would generally be looked upon negatively, which has been the case. When you look back through the games individually from December onwards you see how well he played and how consistent he was, conversely if you do the same for Bruno you see how often he was poor from December and how rarely he played well.
But you’re absolutely correct that is not how people will remember it.
It's neither how people will remember nor how people called it on a game to game basis.
I don't have the numbers but Bruno might have a 10x ratio fo goals and assists to pogba over the period of 18 months, so was always going to be tough for pogba to be called the more consistent player
He’d have the same over Keane. We aren’t talking about goals and assists. We’re talking about performances. Scoring a penalty or not touching a ball on halfway that has to be called an assist does not equate to a good performance.
It is exactly that people won’t look at performance. Attackers will always have better stats than midfielders, doesn’t mean Bruno has played consistently well. Just that he is given license to do what he wants.
Bit surprised by the whole narrative about him being a completely different player for France.
He was playing like that for United about a month and a half ago...
He was playing like that for United about a month and a half ago...
I'm just saying how much more effective Bruno has been will make it hard for you to look at all credible when saying pogba has had the better 18 months.
Not sure I can waste much more sentences saying the same thing though, some people are so tunnel visioned they will just see what they want... And I guess that is exactly what you are accusing me of, so we will just disagree
I’m not saying he’s had a better 18 months, Bruno has definitely had more impact over that time. It doesn’t change the fact that his actual performances, particularly over the last six months, even going back to after the first lockdown, have been very up and down. His best performances for me consistently came when he first signed. His numbers have really only dipped on the past six months.
Perhaps the issue of consistency lies with the manager more than the players, since almost all our players struggle for consistency and our performances as a team are very patchy.
I totally agree that the stats mask the performances and so does the general narrative around both players....hell it’s even hard to justify that Pogba doesn’t have just 1 good game in 10 after a run of 10 good games in a row. The only way to do it is to look at the games individually but that never seems to suit people’s agendas.
Bit quiet in here today.
He was decent today.
I don't think he suits a side in midfield when asked to dominate the game in possession and break down a defence. He kind of just starts doing square passes but doesn't have it in his locker to control the tempo how he wants. Better being a moments player in a counter attacking side to hit passes into space for runners which he is great at.
Didn't see the game today but you're right when he has time on the ball he tends to fanny around with it rather than play it one or two touch, he's been a big part of our struggles against the bus parkers who we regularly play
It's worth asking how many players actually thrive in those type of situations? And there must be a reason why weaker teams by default choose to employ that strategy against every quality team they come across?
I remember that Xavi, Xabi Alonso, Busquets and Iniesta midfield looking completely toothless for most of WC 2010 until David Villa decided to flip the switch and win games out of nothing for them.
I think the maestro's like Messi and Iniesta really show their value in those situations because they're ridiculously good dribblers who can probe and break the lines for a shot or an assist. The other option is to be a gunslinger like a Bruno or a KDB and just go for killer passes without caring too much about efficiency.
He plays the same for United and France. I think a lot of people have created this misconception that he's some sort of Ronaldinho for his national team, he isn't. (Paul is my favorite player btw).
There are two things in the France team that suit him very well and add a lot of value to him as a player:
- very good movement from the forwards
- balanced midfield with players that pass and move quickly when having the ball, and run a lot when they lose it
Both of these two are missing heavily at United.
There are two things in the France team that suit him very well and add a lot of value to him as a player:
- very good movement from the forwards
- balanced midfield with players that pass and move quickly when having the ball, and run a lot when they lose it
Both of these two are missing heavily at United.
And of course the opposition know that very well and always close him down quickly.
Too often he is looking to make a Hollywood type pass and then takes too long on the ball
Pretty anonymous today from what I saw and was substituted.
Of course you need that, but the likes of Scholes, Pirlo, Xavi, Thiago, Kroos, Modric etc are all tempo setters, the guys who can make it harder for those teams. Pogba is caught in 2 minds as his natural instinct is to be that guy in attack to play the killer balls in behind, but when played in midfield he knows he should be like the others, yet he's not capable of that. He doesn't know how to control the rhythm of games and dictate the possession from deep in a useful way, and ends up just slowing things down way too much because that's not his natural style.
If anything, I'd argue that when being asked to counter attack he can do better as a deeper midfielder but if the team is asked to dominate the game, you want him on the left wing or as the pure #10 as he'll be more in his natural element focusing on his quick link up and working in tight spaces to hold the ball and play passes in behind. On the counter, there will be more space for him to play the ball in behind from deep so you get that benefit as well. Until Ole this year it's like he's been used in the opposite way this whole time, just shoving creators in midfield because there is less threat on the break when it's the wrong way to go about things IMO.
Souness and Dunphy will be impressed by his performance today.
It's funny once France play with midfield two he got subbed off. Clearly no different of how he used to play at United, unreliable in midfield two even Deschamps acknowledge it.
I thought he was good today, much better than Kante and Rabiot who were pretty poor. It's true though that France look better counter attacking rather than holding possession. A true modern tournament team in that sense and why they fare so well against bigger teams.
It's interesting though when they have the ball in games like this where the other team sits back, Pogba almost plays as the RW as Griezmann plays so centrally. I like watching him out there, he plays almost as a winger / AM hybrid, dribbling with skills, looking for the key pass. Doesn't always work but much better for him to try that there there in a midfield holding 2. We tried him a couple of times as a RW at United didn't we?
It's interesting though when they have the ball in games like this where the other team sits back, Pogba almost plays as the RW as Griezmann plays so centrally. I like watching him out there, he plays almost as a winger / AM hybrid, dribbling with skills, looking for the key pass. Doesn't always work but much better for him to try that there there in a midfield holding 2. We tried him a couple of times as a RW at United didn't we?
Pretty much that. Pogba plays well if he wants to. A mood player.
It is hard to ask forwards to have a lot of movements when the other team is defending with 8-9 camping around their box though. Of course France midfield >> United.
I honestly think he's a nightmare for any manager. Imagine having a player with such big name who's incapable of playing anything bar one very specific position with very specific instructions. Must be a headache.
Pogba gets a 3/10 from L'Equipe today - "Simple passes in touch, rough controls, considerable waste (20 lost balls). The Mancunian, disoriented on the technical level, has, moreover, brought too little speed to the game of the Blues".
Follows up world-class game with underwhelming game, Pogba in a nutshell for United, yet he'll get away with it for France because the narrative is set in stone, it will just be 'bad day at the office', whereas if he did that for United he'd be slated for that. I like Pogba and this isn't meant so much as a criticism but just the double standard at which his performances are rated at club and country.
Follows up world-class game with underwhelming game, Pogba in a nutshell for United, yet he'll get away with it for France because the narrative is set in stone, it will just be 'bad day at the office', whereas if he did that for United he'd be slated for that. I like Pogba and this isn't meant so much as a criticism but just the double standard at which his performances are rated at club and country.
Exactly this. He gets away after producing below par performance for France but doesn't escape any criticism playing for us. What's also funny was how after the first game we had many journalists question Ole and how he misuses pogba when in fact pogba did have some brilliant games for us too this season. And also, the fact that Ole has used Pogba much better than Jose. But today they all have gone quite.
You in the Bruno thread
You in the Bruno thread
Nah but Bruno owes us nothing. Player of the year 2 years out of 2 is pretty good isn't it? Even better when you consider the first one he only joined in January.
I said he had an awful game in the match thread and Rozay didn't seem to like what I said. It was really a terrible game from him.
Bruno is a great player....he probably deserved neither to be fair. He’s been awful since December this season and as you said he joined in January and wasn’t great after lockdown. Fans love him though.
Bruno has won nothing with us yet and is yet to register a big game performance in a knockout semifinal game or top rival league game. Pogba has done both much to your chargrin
You’ll either get a 10/10 from Pogba or a 3/10 per game,
Never a consistent run of 8/10 matches and that’s why he makes you want to pull out your hair, how can such a fantastic player play so subpar at times.
This will forever be Pogba, doesn’t matter if he’s at United, Madrid or Juve,
You’ll see the clips of him having great touches or assist or goals now and again on Twitter but the majority dont watch Pogba for 90 mins, 40 or so games a season and see how he truely is, 65% 3/10 , 35% 10/10
Never a consistent run of 8/10 matches and that’s why he makes you want to pull out your hair, how can such a fantastic player play so subpar at times.
This will forever be Pogba, doesn’t matter if he’s at United, Madrid or Juve,
You’ll see the clips of him having great touches or assist or goals now and again on Twitter but the majority dont watch Pogba for 90 mins, 40 or so games a season and see how he truely is, 65% 3/10 , 35% 10/10
Pogba is the worst player on the pitch 65% of the time? Nonsense.
You in the Bruno thread
Pathetic.
Nah. Pogba is versatile and high quality. Virtually every manager would love to work with him.
- Status