Paul Pogba image 6

Paul Pogba France flag

2020-21 Performances


View full 2020-21 profile

6.0 Season Average Rating
Appearances
42
Goals
6
Assists
6
Yellow cards
9
Status
Not open for further replies.
In terms of the bruno/pogba comparison, I would say bruno has benefited from being put in his strongest position, where as pogba has for most of his time at united been asked to play a role and in a set up that doesn't get the best out of him with having to play further back in midfield as a deep playing playmaker in a 2 man midfield. He needs to be used the same way he was used with Juventus or like how di maria was used at real Madrid before he joined us.
 
No matter how well Pogba plays, this thread is always a complete mess. The guy will never win with some United fans. He had a pretty good season for us to be honest but you wouldn’t know it reading this thread.
 
He lost the ball in the opponent’s half, with half of his team behind him and only two Swiss players behind him.

It’s extremely unfortunate, and somehow inevitable for him, sadly, that Switzerland went on to score there. But it was no more of a ‘mistake’ that whatever Swiss player lost the ball before Pogba scored. He didn’t present Pogba with a goalscoring chance, it’s just unfortunate that Pogba put it in the top corner from 30 yards. But everyone was set, it wasn’t a ‘mistake’, it’s football.

The pass from Benzema was stupid in the first place too, I felt that as soon as he played it, although admittedly, I didn’t think it was a big deal as I’d never have thought Switzerland would go and score from there.

Yes, I know it was but it was something he's done for us many times in the final third. It's not just where but also when, his team was out of shape and he lost it allowing them to counter quickly. A lot of playmakers don't do that. Arguably because he was in a more advanced position than he should have been(especially at that stage in the game) and left that space in midfield he should have been occupying.

The Swiss player made a big mistake too, who's denying that? That doesn't mean Pogba didn't. We are discussing Pogba, not whoever that player was, no one cares about him, especially as they went on to win.

Unlike you, as soon as Pogba lost it I knew they were in trouble. The gap was huge.
 
I agree with you, but a world class central midfielder should be a bit more aware imo, he played the ball to benzema when benzema had nowhere to go, he was always going to get it back from him, but instead of dealing with it quickly he tried to roll his foot over the ball.

The right pass from Benzema was always out to Sissoko.
 
In terms of the bruno/pogba comparison, I would say bruno has benefited from being put in his strongest position, where as pogba has for most of his time at united been asked to play a role and in a set up that doesn't get the best out of him with having to play further back in midfield as a deep playing playmaker in a 2 man midfield. He needs to be used the same way he was used with Juventus or like how di maria was used at real Madrid before he joined us.

Pogba isn't playing the Juve role for France so this point doesnt hold up. Pogba has been played everywhere for us. He's also been in fine form plenty of times, I think the biggest issue is how exaggerated his bad performances are for us.
 
No matter how well Pogba plays, this thread is always a complete mess. The guy will never win with some United fans. He had a pretty good season for us to be honest but you wouldn’t know it reading this thread.

The main lads in here, Rozay aside, have been using pogbas Euros performances to rip on Bruno for some absolutely weird reason. It’s always going to create more heated debate when things get like that
 
Absolute nonsense. I love Marcus Rashford and he's Black. Rashford doesn't have the ability Pogba has but he uses what he does have way more for us.

What a pathetic thing to say.
Maybe he is trying to say that you can be black but not too black in terms of how you act or portray yourself for people to love you. Pogba very much embraces his African heritage (dancing, dress, religion etc) and it seems to wind certain people up because they cannot relate.
 
Pogba was absolutely sublime yesterday, yet you can make the argument that he’s the reason they’ve got knocked out with that goal in extra-time

That’s the conundrum with Pogba and always has been. You could see the pundits agreeing in post match, he can do things other players on that pitch could only dream of but yet the simple things like retaining possession at key moments are lost on him. Such a shame
 
The right pass from Benzema was always out to Sissoko.
Yes I agree it could have gone out there from him then, it was an awkward pass on the bounce. I think either pogba or benzema should have played that out wide.

like I said I’m gutted it happened but there was four players involved in conceding that goal, just because pogba had a storming match it doesn’t absolve him of being one of those four.
 
He is very much a part of the terrible defending.

Fred and Mct were why he couldn’t get ahead with us

Now it’s Kantes fault.

Who will it be next?

Unfortunately you have to defend in central midfield.

When did he lose his man? France were useless because of their defenders not pogba
 
And give the ball away that cost the equalising goal, shame that
Yeah it's a shame but his job is to create, not to hold onto the ball. There's no pon
He is very much a part of the terrible defending.

Fred and Mct were why he couldn’t get ahead with us

Now it’s Kantes fault.

Who will it be next?

Unfortunately you have to defend in central midfield.

When you have a player like Pogba and he is absolutely essential to all the attacking that your team does, you need to accept that he will sometimes lose/get caught on the ball. You've gotta build a team to cover for those weaknesses.

Pogba deserves some criticism for losing that ball, but it's a terrible approach to blame goals conceded entirely on whoever lost the ball. As the creative fulcrum of that side, he should be able to lose the ball on the half-way line once a game without that resulting in a goal.
 
Yes, I know it was but it was something he's done for us many times in the final third. It's not just where but also when, his team was out of shape and he lost it allowing them to counter quickly. A lot of playmakers don't do that. Arguably because he was in a more advanced position than he should have been(especially at that stage in the game) and left that space in midfield he should have been occupying.

He wasn’t more advanced than he should have been, he is a central midfielder who was in the centre circle. And his team wasn’t out of shape, either, he had 5 Frenchmen behind him, and only two Swiss.

The Swiss player made a big mistake too, who's denying that? That doesn't mean Pogba didn't. We are discussing Pogba, not whoever that player was, no one cares about him, especially as they went on to win.
No he didn’t, which is why, even at the time when it put France 3-1 up, not one person said it was a mistake. It was just a very good Pogba goal. Spain also went on to win earlier, yet many people spoke of Unai Simon’s mistake. Because that’s exactly what it was.

Unlike you, as soon as Pogba lost it I knew they were in trouble. The gap was huge.

Fair enough. They had a 3 vs 5, at best, and were in their own half. I think if they don’t turn that into a goal, or even a shot at goal - it’s no big deal. It’s not seen as a big wasted opportunity, Pogba didn’t put them through on goal.
 
A player who is 'better than Bruno' should be scoring more goals in a season than Scott Mctomminay did. Would you not agree?

Bruno 28 goals
Pogba 6

Bruno player of the year 2 times in 2 years
Pogba 0 in 5 years


He's a very talented footballer but he's got so much wrong about his game. Attitude and effort being two of them.
Ok cool. Now do trophies.
 
Yes I agree it could have gone out there from him then, it was an awkward pass on the bounce. I think either pogba or benzema should have played that out wide.

like I said I’m gutted it happened but there was four players involved in conceding that goal, just because pogba had a storming match it doesn’t absolve him of being one of those four.

Technically speaking, that is a true statement. It’s just also a nitpicking one. It’s like the old cliché that technically, ‘every goal is a mistake’. Yet every goal isn’t analysed from that perspective.
 
Technically speaking, that is a true statement. It’s just also a nitpicking one. It’s like the old cliché that technically, ‘every goal is a mistake’. Yet every goal isn’t analysed from that perspective.
Agree again, if that goal was the first of the match it wouldn’t be half as bad a meal made out of it as it being the equalising goal in the 90th minute.
 
When did he lose his man? France were useless because of their defenders not pogba

Pogba had a great game but youll see in the match day thread I picked up on the fact Kante was having to cover for Pogba a lot, including tracking his runners for him. You could find a lot of instances where players just ran off Pogba yesterday.
 
The main lads in here, Rozay aside, have been using pogbas Euros performances to rip on Bruno for some absolutely weird reason. It’s always going to create more heated debate when things get like that

That may be true, and although that isn’t what I’m doing, you should also appreciate that Bruno will always be used as a comparison to cite inconsistencies/double standards in comments towards both players.

I think the issue that myself and others have is this totally unique set of metrics that seem to apply to Pogba only. Other players will always be brought into the conversation to highlight that, is all.
 
Agree again, if that goal was the first of the match it wouldn’t be half as bad a meal made out of it as it being the equalising goal in the 90th minute.

Well that is kind of why it matters though, isn't it? It was a key moment, to protect the lead. The whole French team was pretty dreadful defensively all over really, just wish it wasn't Pogba in that moment.
 
Well that is kind of why it matters though, isn't it? It was a key moment, to protect the lead. The whole French team was pretty dreadful defensively all over really, just wish it wasn't Pogba in that moment.
Yes that’s why it matters, that’s why I was being super critical of it.
 
Pogba had a great game but youll see in the match day thread I picked up on the fact Kante was having to cover for Pogba a lot, including tracking his runners for him. You could find a lot of instances where players just ran off Pogba yesterday.

This is another narrative that I have always had a problem with. Kanté covers for his team. Not for Pogba. Because his role in the team is to do just that. Cover.

By the same token, Pogba is in the team to cover for Kanté’s weaknesses, as he is similarly incapable of producing what Pogba can going the other way. Perhaps if Kanté could pass a ball like Pogba, Pogba wouldn’t be needed in the team at all. But it is perfectly acceptable that Kanté isn’t as good as Pogba with the ball. Defensive ability isn’t worth any more than offensively ability. A French midfield with Kanté, Tolisso and Rabiot is simply not good enough, and Pogba plays to cover their weaknesses, because a team also needs what Pogba brings and they can’t bring it.
 
I think the criticism of that moment is extremely harsh. Especially in a game where he played so well. It wasn’t even a particularly bad mistake. He was under huge pressure from the moment he received the ball and was tackled almost instantly.

Although I can understand the focus on it from United fans who have watched him lose the ball in similar circumstances (only much more carelessly) far too often in a United shirt. Without the incredible attacking display we saw last night to make up for it.
 
Technically speaking, that is a true statement. It’s just also a nitpicking one. It’s like the old cliché that technically, ‘every goal is a mistake’. Yet every goal isn’t analysed from that perspective.

True and it's also very easy to do. For example, look at how weak Coman was in the 2nd goal and Rabiot was nowhere to be seen before the cross. That goal came out of nowhere and started the pressure on the French but no one is talking about that.
 
This is another narrative that I have always had a problem with. Kanté covers for his team. Not for Pogba. Because his role in the team is to do just that. Cover.

By the same token, Pogba is in the team to cover for Kanté’s weaknesses, as he is similarly incapable of producing what Pogba can going the other way. Perhaps if Kanté could pass a ball like Pogba, Pogba wouldn’t be needed in the team at all. But it is perfectly acceptable that Kanté isn’t as good as Pogba with the ball. Defensive ability isn’t worth any more than offensively ability. A French midfield with Kanté, Tolisso and Rabiot is simply not good enough, and Pogba plays to cover their weaknesses, because a team also needs what Pogba brings and they can’t bring it.

That doesn't dispute what I was referring to. I wasn't saying Kante solely covered for Pogba, I was saying I watched clear examples of where Pogba let his runner go and Kante had to cover and vacate his position to do so. That really puts France in a vulnerable spot defensively as it leaves a lot of spaces.

These weren't instances of Kante just doing his job, it was times Pogba wasn't doing his or what you'd expect for a CM in a 2. You can call it a tactical issue instead if you want but it just highlights the weakness of playing Pogba in a 2.
 
Fans player of the year mind you. The players know what it is. Which is why Martial and Shaw won it. Just look at Shaw’s interview talking about Bruno’s stats.
I’ve seen the fans vote Bruno man of the match after he’s casually dropped a 3/10 several times last season. It’s just a popularity contest. Most of the people voting don’t even watch the game closely.

On a side note, I watched the Europa Final at the pub, as Tuanzebe stepped up for his pen an old fella shouted “feck off Pogba you cnut” (United fan too) we’re talking about very low IQ level people here.
 
I think the criticism of that moment is extremely harsh. Especially in a game where he played so well. It wasn’t even a particularly bad mistake. He was under huge pressure from the moment he received the ball and was tackled almost instantly.

Although I can understand the focus on it from United fans who have watched him lose the ball in similar circumstances (only much more carelessly) far too often in a United shirt. Without the incredible attacking display we saw last night to make up for it.

If Pogue says criticism of Pogba is ‘extremely harsh’ then it pretty much ends the debate!
 
Apologies, I misinterpreted your point.
I just don’t think the 90th minute of a knockout match being surrounded by opposition is the time to try and roll your foot over the ball in the centre circle, but that’s pogba and without that he wouldn’t be the class player he is.

I’ll say again I know how harsh that sounds towards pogba and I totally respect his class and other qualities he brings, it’s just how I feel about that at that time of the match.
 
I’ve seen the fans vote Bruno man of the match after he’s casually dropped a 3/10 several times last season. It’s just a popularity contest. Most of the people voting don’t even watch the game closely.

On a side note, I watched the Europa Final at the pub, as Tuanzebe stepped up for his pen an old fella shouted “feck off Pogba you cnut” (United fan too) we’re talking about very low IQ level people here.

Would these be the same kind of very low IQ people that think trophies won by teams are a good way to judge individual players?
 
Pogba had a great game but youll see in the match day thread I picked up on the fact Kante was having to cover for Pogba a lot, including tracking his runners for him. You could find a lot of instances where players just ran off Pogba yesterday.

There were also times when pogba covered for Kante. It's called a team sport. There was no clear scenario where pogba didn't defend or was clearly at fault for losing his man.
 
Would these be the same kind of very low IQ people that think trophies won by teams are a good way to judge individual players?
World class players win trophies. Sporting sold him & immediately won the league after getting nowhere near it with him in the team.

Whatever anyway, this is the Pogba thread so I’m not talking about Bruno anymore. Pogba had a fine game but getting caught in possession in the centre of the park (as we are all aware he has a knack of this) ended up costing them. He’s a world class, mercurial, but so often frustrating player.
 
There were also times when pogba covered for Kante. It's called a team sport. There was no clear scenario where pogba didn't defend or was clearly at fault for losing his man.

By all means show me some clips because I didn't see that. You're purposely being ignorant if you're going to claim he didn't defend properly or track his man at times when he should have. Just because it didn't result in a goal or a big chance doesn't mean it didn't happen.
 
I’ve seen the fans vote Bruno man of the match after he’s casually dropped a 3/10 several times last season. It’s just a popularity contest. Most of the people voting don’t even watch the game closely.

On a side note, I watched the Europa Final at the pub, as Tuanzebe stepped up for his pen an old fella shouted “feck off Pogba you cnut” (United fan too) we’re talking about very low IQ level people here.

To be fair, that’s pretty disgusting on a number of levels. As a London Red, and based on my own social groups, I never really experience that sort of Pogba hatred in the real world, more seems to be something I’d expect more up north. Hearing that little story just puts some of the things I read online (on the caf and beyond) into reality for me, reminds me that there are actual real people behind these posts and that is what they probably look like. Up until now, this is something that exists on the Internet or television only to me.
 
World class players win trophies. Sporting sold him & immediately won the league after getting nowhere near it with him in the team.

Whatever anyway, this is the Pogba thread so I’m not talking about Bruno anymore. Pogba had a fine game but getting caught in possession in the centre of the park (as we are all aware he has a knack of this) ended up costing them. He’s a world class, mercurial, but so often frustrating player.

Spectacularly dumb logic. It’s a tangent so I won’t go on about it but you really need to stop accusing other fans of being “low IQ” when you come out with nonsense like that.
 
He was utterly magnificent yesterday, and has been player of the tournament for me, to this point.
 
It wasn’t a ‘mistake’. Spain’s goalkeeper made a mistake.
Of course it's a mistake, he is in possession of the ball and takes a touch into an opposing player and loses it.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.