We will never win the league with Paul Pogba in the team

[amolbhatia50k]

I've seen an interview with De Bruyne on some freestyler's YouTube channel. The thing that that stood out was KDB saying how he is a nice, even shy person at times, but when he enters the pitch, something in him switches and his mentality changes completely - trying to win always and not aiming for anything less, despite how much effort it would require.

A player can have all the talent in the world, but will never be world class without the proper mentality.

If Pogba develops that dogged, hard working, focused, aware mentality that you see in the likes of De Bruyne, Iniesta etc. he would be absolutely unstoppable and the best foorballer in England. I dont expect him to ever have KDB creative/final third passing but he's better at enough things to surpass him, but he needs to improve his focus, decision making and effort.

People harp on about midfield 2/3 but look how hard Messi and Iniesta used to work at their prime. Or KDB now. If you want to be part of the engine then you have to develop one yourself.

 

[Retrokicks]

I did say it was premature to say Pogba was a great when quite a few were singing his praises.

Nothing against the man, but putting him up there next to: Scholes, Giggs, Robson, let alone Ronaldo and Best is just laughable.

Pretty obvious we wouldn't have let him go in the first place, if he were that good. Imagine letting any of the above players leave when that young.

 

[In Rainbows]

Sanchez is clearly our best outfield player.

Last season pogba wasn't even our best CM. This season Martial has been better than him for us. So how is he our best outfielder?

These weaknesses and terrible recent performances aside, Pogba is an excellent player and one I love watching. But this incessant need to put him on some pedestal he doesn't deserve (yet) is strange. It seems hype, big name, status etc. is everything for people.

Martial has had dips in form too and I've been a big defender of Martial. Arsenal fans complained about what Sanchez was giving them from a quality stand point. Why are we ignoring this? Pogba's dip in form is just very recent and due to the Spurs match it has magnified it.

I'm not saying Pogba doesn't need to start getting more of an engine as he would become even better, but this is how he's been like since we bought him. I've said this in the past. He'll never run things through his passing precisely because he likes to drift forward and only uses his bursts of energy to win an immediate ball or to dribble past players. It is not a consistent level of mobility like a Modric has. At Juve, Vidal was a great engine who made up for Pogba's lack of engine and Pirlo being the last defensive presence in midfield gave more solidarity to Juve's midfield. He was rather slow, but he slotted in at good positions to stop opposing attacks and pressed when needed. This isn't some made up history.

 

[Keeps It tidy]

Sanchez is clearly our best outfield player.

Last season pogba wasn't even our best CM. This season Martial has been better than him for us. So how is he our best outfielder?

These weaknesses and terrible recent performances aside, Pogba is an excellent player and one I love watching. But this incessant need to put him on some pedestal he doesn't deserve (yet) is strange. It seems hype, big name, status etc. is everything for people.

You could argue Herrera was better last year but, there is no way you could argue Martial has been better this season. Sanchez might be our best outfield player but, he has not shown that for sure yet.

 

[Keeps It tidy]

If Pogba develops that dogged, hard working, focused, aware mentality that you see in the likes of De Bruyne, Iniesta etc. he would be absolutely unstoppable and the best foorballer in England. I dont expect him to ever have KDB creative/final third passing but he's better at enough things to surpass him, but he needs to improve his focus, decision making and effort.

People harp on about midfield 2/3 but look how hard Messi and Iniesta used to work at their prime. Or KDB now. If you want to be part of the engine then you have to develop one yourself.

Pogba is not as good as De Bruyne has been this season and he is obviously not on the level of prime Iniesta but, I doubt you would see their best form playing in a midfield two with someone like Matic. Heck De Bruyne was with us now he would be playing in Lingard or Martial's position because he would be much more effective there.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

You could argue Herrera was better but, there is no way you could argue Martial has been better this season. Sanchez might be our best outfield player but, he has not shown that for sure yet.

Wrong on both counts.

Before being shunted to the right Martial was one of the most productive players in the league. And he hasn't had these joke performances like Pogba has. Even yesterday his all round game was fine. It's pretty debatable between them but Id pick Martial because his bottom has been much higher.

Sanchez based on the last few years is a step ahead of anyone we have (other than DDG). Has to prove it for us, but so does Pogba.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

Pogba is not as good as De Bruyne has been this season and he is obviously not on the level of prime Iniesta but, I doubt you would see their best form playing in a midfield two with someone like Matic. Heck De Bruyne was with us now he would be playing in Lingard or Martial's position because he would be much more effective there.

Playing in a miefield two doesn't incapacitate great footballers. And Lingard offers a fair bit of midfield cover anyway.

Either way, Pogba has these weaknesses I mentioned. Willful ignorance makes no sense to me.

 

[Keeps It tidy]

Wrong on both counts.

Before being shunted to the right Martial was one of the most productive players in the league. And he hasn't had these joke performances like Pogba has. Even yesterday his all round game was fine. It's pretty debatable between them but Id pick Martial because his bottom has been much higher.

Sanchez based on the last few years is a step ahead of anyone we have (other than DDG). Has to prove it for us, but so does Pogba.

Martial has had just as much maybe even more poor performances than Pogba has so far. And Pogba is third in the league in assists right now so he has been productive too.

 

[Mr PG]

If Pogba develops that dogged, hard working, focused, aware mentality that you see in the likes of De Bruyne, Iniesta etc. he would be absolutely unstoppable and the best foorballer in England. I dont expect him to ever have KDB creative/final third passing but he's better at enough things to surpass him, but he needs to improve his focus, decision making and effort.

People harp on about midfield 2/3 but look how hard Messi and Iniesta used to work at their prime. Or KDB now. If you want to be part of the engine then you have to develop one yourself.

True. Pogba will never be in a midfield 3 against the likes of Newcastle as that means benching an attacking player. Not even fergie did that. He’s gotta make a decision... to put in a shift or not... and if he does....heaven is the limit.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

Martial has had just as much maybe even more poor performances than Pogba has so far. And Pogba is third in the league in assists right now so he has been productive too.

No chance. Martial's general play even in the last two games where he's been shunted out right has been decent. Pogba has left us effectively playing with 10. He's been absolutely horrible.

Im not denying pogba has been productive. That's why its debatable between them.

 

[Mr PG]

Martial has had just as much maybe even more poor performances than Pogba has so far. And Pogba is third in the league in assists right now so he has been productive too.

Martial so passive today as well... and I’m a big Martial fan but the fight just isn’t there is it. This Dude has capability to turn and attack every time but chooses the easy option. Just compare him to Salah and Mane who don’t possess half his talent yet we see what they’re doing every week.

 

[Keeps It tidy]

Playing in a miefield two doesn't incapacitate great footballers. And Lingard offers a fair bit of midfield cover anyway.

Either way, Pogba has these weaknesses I mentioned. Willful ignorance makes no sense to me.

Take someone like Iniesta as an example. He can not control matches like Xavi does and he lacks the defensive/tactical nous of someone like Busquets so playing with them freed him up to be at his most effective. But, using the logic people have on this thread Xavi and Busquets were doing his work for him. Even great players need to be put in the best position to succeed.

 

[MackRobinson]

1) It is revisionist I'm afraid. If you go back to when we signed him you will see a very different picture painted based on the player Pogba "could be", to the oone now being portrayed...there was a general consensus he wasn't worth £89m based on the player he currently was when we signed him. What we have now is people pretending he was something he wasn't for Juventus, who in most cases probably never even watched him play for them outside of the odd game. I remember @jojojo describing him as a "player who looks better on the youtube highlights than he does in a game"...which, actually, sounds exactly like Paul Pogba to me. I remember watching him for France in the Euros and trying to figure out what it was he was actually supposed to be doing, due to him so often seemingly doing absolutely nothing at all. It isn't a problem that has magically cropped up because nasty Jose Mourinho is playing him 3m out of position, or doesn't put enough good midfielders next to him for him to not have to worry about actually doing some midfielding. This magicall position in midfield that doesn't come with the responsibility of being a good midfielder DOES NOT EXIST.

I'm sorry but this is complete nonsense. First of all, make a baseless accusation that those who share a different opinion than you haven't seen him play is garbage. Don't resort to that nonsense. Secondly, to pretend as if he was never praise for his play at Juve or in the France squad is intellectually dishonest. Was he not included in the FIFA Pro World XI? Did he not make the BBC's all Euro team? Was he not excellent against Bayern in the 2016 Champions League? You are the one rewriting history. To pretend as if Pogba had the profile of Raheem Sterling before he left Liverpool or someone similar is one of the most absurd things I have ever seen posted.

2) Suarez at Liverpool? Alonso at Liverpool. Scholes at United at times. Sanchez at Arsenal. Bale at Spurs. Modric at Spurs...shall I go on? ...Even good players stick out if they have worse players around them, because they are good players. There are countless examples right now even just in the PL. They don't go into a shell or stop doing their jobs just because their team mates are closer to Charlie Adams than they are to Zinedine Zidane. That is literally what makes them good players. It's a very simple concept. A footballer is good or great, because he is better at football than other footballers...not because he is better than them only if the rest of his team are so good it doesn't actually matter if he is better than them or not. This is a rule that has been invented just to try and pretend Paul Pogba is something he has done nothing at all for us to show he is.

Suarez - His first 2 seasons at Liverpool were underwhelming. Those Liverpool teams didn't take off until they got Sturridge, Coutihno, and Sterling broke into the first team squad. After his first 2 seasons you can make the argument they built that team around him.
Alonso - played in an excellent midfield 3 with Mascherano and Gerrard. Plus they had prime Torres up front. All world class players.
Sanchez - he was Barca reject and he played with Ozil who is world-class
Bale and Modric played on the same team and neither was considered world class until their final couple of seasons at Spurs

Regardless are we going to pretend that Pogba hasn't had MOTM performances the season?

They will be straw arguments when Pogba starts proving they are. They do not become straw arguments just because people are willing to invent arguments to make it impossible for Pogba playing badly to ever be Pogba's fault.

There is no question Pogba can do better and show more effort, but this notion that he was never considered an top tier player (I don't want to get into parsing what world class means) is revisionist history at it's worst. No way any club plays a world record fee for a non-top player. No way Real Madrid is chasing after a player that isn't considered that good. I don't care how you try to spin it, but it's just not true.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

Take someone like Iniesta as an example. He can not control matches like Xavi does and he lacks the defensive/tactical nous of someone like Busquets so playing with them freed him up to be at his most effective. But, using the logic people have on this thread Xavi and Busquets were doing his work for him. Even great players need to be put in the best position to succeed.

As I've mentioned previously, ideally I'd put Pogba in a midfield three ahead of a DM/DLP and a playmaker CM. However, a great player's game doesn't completely fall apart when playing possibly in his second most desirable position. You put Iniesta alongside Matic and Lingard and he isn't going to lose his awareness, close control, vision etc. Of course he'd be even more effective in the other set up but he'll still perform and show his quality.

 

[Adnan]

Martial so passive today as well... and I’m a big Martial fan but the fight just isn’t there is it. This Dude has capability to turn and attack every time but chooses the easy option. Just compare him to Salah and Mane who don’t possess half his talent yet we see what they’re doing every week.

Martial has been passive for most of the season. Salah and Mane play with great intensity which Martial lacks.

 

[Keeps It tidy]

As I've mentioned previously, ideally I'd put Pogba in a midfield three ahead of a DM/DLP and a playmaker CM. However, a great player's game doesn't completely fall apart when playing possibly in his second most desirable position. You put Iniesta alongside Matic and Lingard and he isn't going to lose his awareness, close control, vision etc. Of course he'd be even more effective in the other set up but he'll still perform and show his quality.

But, Pogba's game has not fallen completely apart he has had a few poor matches but, he has mostly been great this season. And he would have less poor matches if he was in the role that he would be the most effective at.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

But, Pogba's game has not fallen completely apart he has had a few poor matches but, he has mostly been great this season. And he would have less poor matches if he was in the role that he would be the most effective at.

It completely fell apart in those matches. And the wrong role isn't an excuse for that. You can continue to absolve him of all blame. I cannot.

 

[Rasfene]

Martial so passive today as well... and I’m a big Martial fan but the fight just isn’t there is it. This Dude has capability to turn and attack every time but chooses the easy option. Just compare him to Salah and Mane who don’t possess half his talent yet we see what they’re doing every week.

I thought martial did well. He almost scored. I think the defender pull on him and he almost fell and his shot got weaker. He could have ended last night as a match winner. He also put in a few dangerous crosses.

Pogba has always been slow and does not like to defend. Need Vidal or pirlo to help him. Maybe even need a morata in midfield.

When I first saw pogba play for manutd after his 89 mil tsf, I already felt he was too laid back. But of course if balotelli can succeed at Nice again, pogba can too if he works his socks.

 

[Keeps It tidy]

It completely fell apart in those matches. And the wrong role isn't an excuse for that. You can continue to absolve him of all blame. I cannot.

I am not saying we should absolve him of all blame but, I also do not think the hyperbole of this thread is warranted. He is our best outfield player who has had a few poor outings. We have bigger issues in our squad.

 

[Rhyme Animal]

I'll put it like this - the midfield should be built to get the best out of Sanchez, Martial and Rom. That for me is what the midfield should be doing.

If any midfielder, Pogba included, doesn't contribute to bringing out the best of Sanchez, Martial and Rom, they should be dropped until they show in training that they are capable of doing so.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

I am not saying we should absolve him of all blame but, I also do not think the hyperbole of this thread is warranted. He is our best outfield player who has had a few poor outings. We have bigger issues in our squad.

Your supposed best player/talisman having big weaknesses is a fairly big issue. We do have other issues for sure but we need to work on them all.

 

[Keeps It tidy]

Your supposed best player/talisman having big weaknesses is a fairly big issue. We do have other issues for sure but we need to work on them all.

Every player has weaknesses if they did not you would be able to play them at every position. You need to put players in the right positions and roles so their weaknesses become less apparent.

 

[Kaushalmanutd]

Its all about getting the balance right. Im not absolving pogba from any blame at all , he was downright terrible the past few away games and quite honestly has been for a while. But Paul Pogba has got the talent and technique and flair to become one of the best players in the world which he will at some point im pretty sure of that.

The problem right now is his lack of maturity and the stubbornness of the manager to play him only and only in midfield 2. Its the combination of these 2 things right now causing this mini crisis. Either pogba needs to buckle up fast or Mourinho needs to find a solution to accentuate his qualities than continuing playing him in midfield 2 if its not working. If he truly sees pogba as a cm only in a midfield two then he has to blame himself only for this mess. Never ever pogba showed great traits of a cm in his career . What he did show was that he can be a maverick given the freedom by utilising him properly. If jose needed a cm then he should hv signed a proper cm ala pjanic. Don't expect to get great performances from pogba by playing him in a role he never played or excelled in. He is a predator, let him attack.

The problem with this club is and for the past few years has been either they sign some absolute useless players without proper planning or when they do sign some class players e.g pogba, sanchez, martial etc they are shifted here there everywhere without a fixed role or position and when we don't get consistency from our players then we scratch our heads n wonder why players become shite all of a sudden? Sanchez is in line next, watch him become dogshit soon if we continue to play the game of musical chairs with our attacking players.

 

[shield]

I seriously thought he would be able to manage quite well in a midfield two. Right now, he has got progressively worse while playing there.

What we need, and what we have always needed is a CM. Some who can win the midfield battle and not get bullied. Pogba was bought to be an answer to that problem and he is proving increasingly inept to play that role. We even got Matic to help him out, because it was clear that Pogba has defensive issues. Now, it turns out Pogba is just incapable of playing as a CM.

He can look better while playing a little ahead and skip the actual midfield and defensive work, but I don't really care about that. If he can't play as a proper CM and needs to be moved ahead, then I would just bench him and use him tactically like, Martial and Rashford, which is, use him only in certain matches, and start looking for another CM.

 

[devilish]

True. Pogba will never be in a midfield 3 against the likes of Newcastle as that means benching an attacking player. Not even fergie did that. He’s gotta make a decision... to put in a shift or not... and if he does....heaven is the limit.

why not?

 

[Wumminator]

Could we buy Rafael and Park to give him a rest?

 

[Rossa]

I don't understand why he shouldn't be able to work in a midfield two when Lingard is playing as the number ten. Lingard tracks back a fair bit. Yesterday, he made a surging run to get back and stole the ball away from their man rushing forward on a counter. I have no idea where Pogba was, but he was substituted not long after, I believe. We have all seen the top speed that Pogba can carry, but not once has he shown that kind of recovery speed, only in attack. If he is a player that needs shoehorning, maybe he's just not that good? I mean, if you were to play a five a side match, he would probably be the most standout player around, but his positioning and defensive awareness just isn't good enough. People talk about his passing, but look at how much quicker Carrick plays the ball that Pogba does. Sure, Pogba hits the ball cleaner than Carrick does, almost to Scholes' level, giving him some seriously sweet highlight reels, but he often takes forever to make them. Our attack is static, but the way Pogba (and Matic) plays, it isn't that easy for them either.

 

[flappyjay]

Then why on earth would you want him to keep being played there? Jesus christ.

This. Why keep playing him there. He showed it before we signed him when he played in a midfield two for France . He spent the important years of his development playing in a midfield three for Juventus so it can't be a surprise to anyone that he is clueless in a two

 

[midnightmare]

Your supposed best player/talisman having big weaknesses is a fairly big issue. We do have other issues for sure but we need to work on them all.

True - can see this becoming an increased issue. A lot of people thought that we'd benefit from a midfield 3 against big teams while dominating with a 2-man midfield against "weaker" teams. Don't come much weaker than Newcastle. Have to hope this was just a blip, as I think Pogba has done well enough in bigger games in the past.

Every player has weaknesses if they did not you would be able to play them at every position. You need to put players in the right positions and roles so their weaknesses become less apparent.

You do. That said, I don't think this is just about defensive work or a defensive weakness from Pogba. He was off his game completely and you can't even cite too much attacking nous from him in the last 2 games. He's been utterly dominated and for me, that comes down to the positioning awareness as well. He seems to lack that at times and that means that not only does the defensive game suffer, but also that he's often not in the best position to be found when launching attacks. Some of this comes from our inability to play the ball out of the CB positions, but quite often when Matic has the ball, his options are to either play sideways to Pogba (often when Pogba is under pressure) or play forward directly to the attackers. While the latter sounds good in theory, (a) Matic is not the best guy to be doing this and (b) Pogba is supposed to be the one taking this part up himself and not doing so kind of negates his prime purpose.

All said and done, feel Pogba has class and specially in attack, can be a key weapon for us, but his inability to "find space" coupled with a worrying lack of defensive awareness are making it difficult to play a 2-man midfield even against what should be cannon-fodder. Against Stoke as well, we were cut open at will. This isn't isolated therefore and even when he has good "attacking" games, he's causing worries. With his talent, he really should not be such a massive liability in a 4-2-3-1 even against the weak teams.

What a lot are highlighting is that it's not just about the big games. He's increasingly showing that the only way he'll be a good asset (even against weak teams) is in a 3-man midfield and for an elite midfielder, that's not the best sign. He really should be able to handle at least the threat posed by "smaller" teams.

 

[flappyjay]

Sanchez is clearly our best outfield player.

Last season pogba wasn't even our best CM. This season Martial has been better than him for us. So how is he our best outfielder?

These weaknesses and terrible recent performances aside, Pogba is an excellent player and one I love watching. But this incessant need to put him on some pedestal he doesn't deserve (yet) is strange. It seems hype, big name, status etc. is everything for people.

His been out of form but you can't deny that he was a big part of our early season form evidenced by the decline in our play after his injury then suspension.

 

[midnightmare]

His been out of form but you can't deny that he was a big part of our early season form evidenced by the decline in our play after his injury then suspension.

Not advocating this view, but the counter could easily be that he became an "excuse" for the dip in form, which coincided with better opposition as much as it did with his absence. Arguably, statistics would show that Fellaini was an able replacement for a while - and we dipped once he too went out. It's not like Pogba's return has brought with it a dramatic turnaround in form or big-game results.

 

[Lawman]

Worst thread ever

 

[DdeGoat]

Could we buy Rafael and Park to give him a rest?

The hilarious part is that so many thought/still think that the greatest managers in history needed to bow down to the demands of an 18 year old and play him regularly in the midfield when we were going toe to toe with City for a title, but now the same guy at 24 years needs a solid midfielder so that he can get away from his midfield duties. Amazing!

 

[tony54]

Pogba should be up there with De Bruyne.

But he’s not sadly. He doesn’t work hard enough and I can’t stand this bollocks of shaking hands with opposition players at the start of the second half. He needs to start acting and playing more seriously.

De Bruynes attacking stats are impressive. But more so the ground he covers every game is impressive too.

I'm not so sure Pogba has the engine to play at a high level throughout the whole game.

 

[Raees]

Are you suggesting we indulge it further? Or should we question why this is. He needs to learn the game because he is no good to anybody in his current format. Real Madrid and Barcelona don't tolerate players that play in glimpses, before people jump in and say it's tactics and he'd be world class elsehwere .

Pogba needs to learn how to apply his talent to being a midfielder, which should be his best position. I've seen him playing there brilliantly at youth level before the ego took over. To me it looks like an attitude problem.

Indulge what? If a player has a particular position where he is comfortable in and at the age of 24 he is clearly out of place in a particular position and unable to play it what kind of moron keeps playing him in that position despite it being against the players will and it is also harming the team and results. Takes an even bigger moron to support that type of management too which most of this forum seems to be doing.

'Oh Pogba needs to buck up etc etc'. If he feels the manager doesn't get him and is not Getting the best out of him how else is he going to get the message through to the manager because Jose is the most stubborn cnut in football.

Disagree he'd be useless elsewhere - he was useful in a top side in Juve and has generally been pretty useful for France when played in his best position - was good in World Cup 2014. Also most top sides play with a three man midfield in every god damn game and not a two... seems to be a new myth growing that you definitely need a two against smaller sides to field an extra attacker (complete bullshit).. city and Liverpool always play a three in midfield as does Bayern, Barca, Madrid if not more sometimes. The greater control in possession and faster build up play cancels out the loss of an extra attacker and therefore you're more likely to win such games.

Why should it be his best position? Because you and the manager said so? How about you actually look at the player and his mentality, his attributes and take that into account when deciding what suits him. Not just making some arbitrary judgement that he looks like Viera and therefore he needs to play like Viera.

Playing CM against a bunch of kids when he was oversized against them is different to the adult game. Juventus didn't trust him in the heart of midfield because they knew he's better when he's more attacking vs defending and we are completely ignoring that time and time again with this Jose obsssession to play 4231. The manager is being an idiot - he's going to lose the trust of Pogba and eventually bench him. We are going to field sub par players and I don't see the team being stronger for it compared to if we went to a 433 and actually started adopting a style of football which is more modern than the current prehistoric mish mash we are seeing at the moment.

No one is saying Pogba is perfect but he sure as hell isnt as bad as the Tottenham game or the Newcastle one. That is not a true reflection of his ability and you can blame him but I put the blame on the manager. He's going to waste the talent of Pogba. He hasn't developed his attacking game at all which is what the focus should have been on.

Pogba should be a 10-15 goal attacking midfielder by now, not some Poundland Viera.

 

[roonster09]

Indulge what? If a player has a particular position where he is comfortable in and at the age of 24 he is clearly out of place in a particular position and unable to play it what kind of moron keeps playing him in that position despite it being against the players will and it is also harming the team and results. Takes an even bigger moron to support that type of management too which most of this forum seems to be doing.

'Oh Pogba needs to buck up etc etc'. If he feels the manager doesn't get him and is not Getting the best out of him how else is he going to get the message through to the manager because Jose is the most stubborn cnut in football.

Disagree he'd be useless elsewhere - he was useful in a top side in Juve and has generally been pretty useful for France when played in his best position - was good in World Cup 2014. Also most top sides play with a three man midfield in every god damn game and not a two... seems to be a new myth growing that you definitely need a two against smaller sides to field an extra attacker (complete bullshit).. city and Liverpool always play a three in midfield as does Bayern, Barca, Madrid if not more sometimes. The greater control in possession and faster build up play cancels out the loss of an extra attacker and therefore you're more likely to win such games.

Why should it be his best position? Because you and the manager said so? How about you actually look at the player and his mentality, his attributes and take that into account when deciding what suits him. Not just making some arbitrary judgement that he looks like Viera and therefore he needs to play like Viera.

Playing CM against a bunch of kids when he was oversized against them is different to the adult game. Juventus didn't trust him in the heart of midfield because they knew he's better when he's more attacking vs defending and we are completely ignoring that time and time again with this Jose obsssession to play 4231. The manager is being an idiot - he's going to lose the trust of Pogba and eventually bench him. We are going to field sub par players and I don't see the team being stronger for it compared to if we went to a 433 and actually started adopting a style of football which is more modern than the current prehistoric mish mash we are seeing at the moment.

No one is saying Pogba is perfect but he sure as hell isnt as bad as the Tottenham game or the Newcastle one. That is not a true reflection of his ability and you can blame him but I put the blame on the manager. He's going to waste the talent of Pogba. He hasn't developed his attacking game at all which is what the focus should have been on.

Pogba should be a 10-15 goal attacking midfielder by now, not some Poundland Viera.

Agree with most of it. Asking player to play a role which he isn't comfortable in and also set up which exposes his weakness more than anything is just wrong way to use such a talented player.

Also playing 3 in the midfield means we have better balance and chance to regain possession and faster transition, so we won't be losing anything in the attack, it's not like Pogba is poor in the attack either. When given freedom he showed what he is capable against Everton away with his skill and flair. Defenders just couldn't deal with him and then next game Jose played him in a restricted role.

We signed a Midfielder who was great in midfield 3, even voted in fifa world 11 and somehow ask him to play restricted role.

I can understand asking him to play against Newcastle but Spurs away? That's just ridiculous.

Also like you said, taking one more attacker out to play midfield 3 isn't defensive or compromising in the attack, it's gives better balance and also better platform for the attackers. Players like Sanchez don't have to drop deep either, they will have Pogba who can link midfield and attack.

 

[Raees]

Agree with most of it. Asking player to play a role which he isn't comfortable in and also set up which exposes his weakness more than anything is just wrong way to use such a talented player.

Also playing 3 in the midfield means we have better balance and chance to regain possession and faster transition, so we won't be losing anything in the attack, it's not like Pogba is poor in the attack either. When given freedom he showed what he is capable against Everton away with his skill and flair. Defenders just couldn't deal with him and then next game Jose played him in a restricted role.

We signed a Midfielder who was great in midfield 3, even voted in fifa world 11 and somehow ask him to play restricted role.

I can understand asking him to play against Newcastle but Spurs away? That's just ridiculous.

Also like you said, taking one more attacker out to play midfield 3 isn't defensive or compromising in the attack, it's gives better balance and also better platform for the attackers. Players like Sanchez don't have to drop deep either, they will have Pogba who can link midfield and attack.

A further point is that shifting from 4231 to 433 here and there isn't enough as you need a fixed formation and fixed lineup for players to start gelling together and play more coherently. It needs to be a permanent change.

This is why if it comes to it I'd rather see the back of Jose than the back of Pogba as I know if we stick to the way we are playing with or without Pogba we are going nowhere fast.

 

[Keeps It tidy]

Agree with most of it. Asking player to play a role which he isn't comfortable in and also set up which exposes his weakness more than anything is just wrong way to use such a talented player.

Also playing 3 in the midfield means we have better balance and chance to regain possession and faster transition, so we won't be losing anything in the attack, it's not like Pogba is poor in the attack either. When given freedom he showed what he is capable against Everton away with his skill and flair. Defenders just couldn't deal with him and then next game Jose played him in a restricted role.

We signed a Midfielder who was great in midfield 3, even voted in fifa world 11 and somehow ask him to play restricted role.

I can understand asking him to play against Newcastle but Spurs away? That's just ridiculous.

Also like you said, taking one more attacker out to play midfield 3 isn't defensive or compromising in the attack, it's gives better balance and also better platform for the attackers. Players like Sanchez don't have to drop deep either, they will have Pogba who can link midfield and attack.

Liverpool and Napoli play 4-3-3 so the idea that playing with another midfielder would lessen our attack is nonsense.

 

[Revaulx]

Change “position” to “club/manager” and who does this remind you of?

Doesn't matter where he is on the pitch, he still loses the ball easily, doesn't work hard and makes the wrong decisions. Changing his position won't change this.

Bingo!

This is Mkhitaryan all over again. When Pogba fails to do midfield basics and his intensity levels are completely off; the excuses are paraded out.

 

[roonster09]

A further point is that shifting from 4231 to 433 here and there isn't enough as you need a fixed formation and fixed lineup for players to start gelling together and play more coherently. It needs to be a permanent change.

This is why if it comes to it I'd rather see the back of Jose than the back of Pogba as I know if we stick to the way we are playing with or without Pogba we are going nowhere fast.

Yeah, it's all well and good to have tactical flexibility but we need some sort of identity. Players who comes in should be able to fit into the team, but what we see is disrupting everything.

I don't think Woodward would be happy to see back of Pogba, if there is a rift between Pogba and Jose, then can easily see Jose losing the dressing room as from what we have seen and read, Pogba is very popular player in the dressing room.

Like you mentioned we should be playing 4-3-3 and if needed we should change the shape with substitutions. You see Liverpool and you know they will play 4-3-3, City 4-1-4-1 or 4-3-3 depends on how you see KdB or Silva. They play the same way and it's not co incidence that they play the fluid game as everyone knows their roles and understand the system very well.

ManUtd is completely different, one game it was 4-3-3, now it's 4-2-3-1, few times it was 3 at the back to counter 3 at the back systems. More than 18 months, still we our players play as if they are playing together for the first time.

 

[RW2]

Someone needs to show Paul Pogba old clips of Roy Keane in central midfield and explain to him. . . "That's what world class in central midfield is. Not clips into the penalty area which might reach their intended target. Not stray hospital ball passes. Not routinely giving the ball away with flicks.. . . . Just win the ball and pass it to the next player nearest to you."