Where does Pogba fit in?

Stacks said:
Pogba just is not the type of player to run around charging at people so to compare him to Rooney is asinine in that sense. Ronaldinho is not the type of player to do that too. Messi isn't either. You gotta deal with it and account for it. Not every great team is 11 nutters running around kicking people.....
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Implying Rooney was just a nutter who ran around kicking people is also pretty asinine. He was an incredibly skillful player, with a fantastic work ethic.

We'll agree to differ. I've my view, you've yours. I hope yours comes true, because he has so much ability, it'd be fantastic for the club if it worked out.
 
Wide left until Rashford comes back?

Or left of a diamond? With Fred/McTom right, Matic/McTom at the base and Fernandes at AMC?
 
I'd put him out on the right in a roaming role. Kind of like how Mata plays when there. He's a good dribbler, good pace and a great crosser. Also he won't actually play on the right but drift around. It has the advantages of having him relatively close to Bruno too. Won't work every game maybe but would give us an extra dimension in a lot of them.
 
Just don't pair him with Matic in a double-pivot system. It was a problematic midfield partnership in Mourinho's rather cautious tactics, to begin with. Solskjaer's transition football requires more adventurous vertical (off the ball) movement and, in this sense, pairing Pogba's bad defensive positioning with Matic's lack of pace can leave us woefully exposed to counter-attacks. But if you put him next to Fred or McT, Pogba's vision and passing skills can be a huge asset for us. A question can be asked about both Fred and McT's tendency to be drawn to the ball and how this will affect our defensive transitions (there will be times Pogba will be the deeper midfielder) but sometimes you have to give up something in order to gain something else. And if we have attacking options who thrive on pace and open spaces, Pogba's long passing abilities can come in handy. We just need to find the right balance in the side.

I think that with a new RW and Bruno operating in between the lines, we can create for him the "vital" space he is afforded in the NT (with Mbappe terrorizing the opposition FB and Griezmann constantly creating pockets of space between the lines with his movement). I also believe that this is where he feels most comfortable.

If he wishes to leave, then sell him. But if he can be convinced to stay and give his best, i'd be more than glad to have him here. On his day, he's a joy to watch on the football pitch.
 
Not a problem with Pogba playing time. Bruno will need some rest every now and then, and then Pogba can step in. Against all those teames who "sit back" we need a more creative midfield, and then we will play Paul and Bruno together.

Besides from that I think we should sell Pogba and invest it in players who wants to be a part of the team. The way he, through his agent and brother, have talked about the team and our manager, is a disgrace. (The agent would not have said what he did if Pogba did not aprove).

Get him out of the club as soon as possible!
 
Someone explain why we can't play Pogba and Bruno in midfield, advanced and on either side of a withdrawn Fred? McTominay and Matic (and Periera/some youth team player) as backup?

If Pogba absolutely doesn't want to be here then move him on but barring that, when was the last time we had such a strong and creative midfield (in theory)?
 
We need the best to compete with our main competitors, and for this, we need the very best players. Let's not get overboard with our success over the last few months. Pogba would elevate this team even at a much lower level of commitment as some seem to suggest (with some justification) he's been guilty of in the past,. Yet, he's still been better than all of our other midfielders since his return for Juventus.
 
adexkola said:
Someone explain why we can't play Pogba and Bruno in midfield, advanced and on either side of a withdrawn Fred? McTominay and Matic (and Periera/some youth team player) as backup?

If Pogba absolutely doesn't want to be here then move him on but barring that, when was the last time we had such a strong and creative midfield (in theory)?
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To be fair, about forty-leven billion people have suggested doing that against cannon-fodder.
 
adexkola said:
:annoyed:

Who in your opinion should replace Pogba?
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Imo Bruno already did and then some. For his spot in the squad, I like the Grealish suggestions but only at the 40m-ish price point. I also think Bellingham could fill that spot - if you're good enough you're old enough and all that. We'd be platooning Grealish/Bellingham/Garner in his spot and I think that would be fine against the cannon-fodder aka 70% of our matches. Obviously a huge downgrade on Pogba, but if it comes down to between that and Pogba on the speculated increased wages then it's a no-brainer for the club's long-term health going forward.

That being said, I would have no problem keeping Pogba if he accepted a lower wage. The Pogba mess is pretty complicated, involving Woodward in ways not really covered in the forum. Pogba being overpaid and given 'alpha' status when he's not an alpha at all is a huge element in all this.

EDIT: If we're not counting Bruno, then I think Sancho is Pogba's 'ideal' replacement in terms of attacking output.
 
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hungrywing said:
Imo Bruno already did and then some. For his spot in the squad, I like the Grealish suggestions but only at the 40m-ish price point. I also think Bellingham could fill that spot - if you're good enough you're old enough and all that. We'd be platooning Grealish/Bellingham/Garner in his spot and I think that would be fine against the cannon-fodder aka 70% of our matches. Obviously a huge downgrade on Pogba, but if it comes down to between that and Pogba on the speculated increased wages then it's a no-brainer for the club's long-term health going forward.

That being said, I would have no problem keeping Pogba if he accepted a lower wage. The Pogba mess is pretty complicated, involving Woodward in ways not really covered in the forum. Pogba being overpaid and given 'alpha' status when he's not an alpha at all is a huge element in all this.
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It's not a huge downgrade. For me Bruno's quality and consistency = Pogba's world class quality and inconsistency
 
Pogba and Fernandes could easily play together and most definitely should. They both play more box to box than as 10s.

They will both benefit from each other being around and sharing the creative burden. Teams will be more open too as they have to cover both as opposed to just one. Our fans are so defensive minded.
 
Go with 4 midfield players and two up front. That is the only way Pogba can be accommodated into this side now. We cannot drop Fred and Bruno. We also need a holding midfield player. That leaves one spot in midfield to become a 4 and that means two up front. Rashford cannot be dropped and neither can Martial be dropped.
 
Foxbatt said:
Go with 4 midfield players and two up front. That is the only way Pogba can be accommodated into this side now. We cannot drop Fred and Bruno. We also need a holding midfield player. That leaves one spot in midfield to become a 4 and that means two up front. Rashford cannot be dropped and neither can Martial be dropped.
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We don't need a holding midfielder. Pogba has played well in a 2 for us and is better than Fred, McTom Matic etc. Every top side would sacrifice any of them to put him in. They would not keep him out his national side. We should always aim higher. Line up like France in the world Cup with Bruno our Griezmann, Rashford our Mbappe and Fred our Kanye. Martial our Giroud and its a wrap
 
Redlips said:
Pogba and Fernandes could easily play together and most definitely should. They both play more box to box than as 10s.

They will both benefit from each other being around and sharing the creative burden. Teams will be more open too as they have to cover both as opposed to just one. Our fans are so defensive minded.
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Yep. After years of seeing Pogba struggle under being the sole creative outlet, they now see Bruno and Pogba as mutually exclusive......
 
Stacks said:
We don't need a holding midfielder. Pogba has played well in a 2 for us and is better than Fred, McTom Matic etc. Every top side would sacrifice any of them to put him in. They would not keep him out his national side. We should always aim higher. Line up like France in the world Cup with Bruno our Griezmann, Rashford our Mbappe and Fred our Kanye. Martial our Giroud and its a wrap
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Who's our Matuidi???
 
On the bench.
We start off using him as cover for the starting side and give him 15-20 minutes at the end of the games and see how he performs and if good then increase the playing time.
 
I want a player who commits himself to the club on and off the pitch.
I don't expect that player or anyone on his behalf to cause problems for United in any way.

If Pogba is that person, I look forward to seeing him play for United for years to come.
 
Neither Pogba nor Bruno can defend and that means if we play Scott he has to defend. He is not very good in that position. Neither Pogba nor Bruno runs like a madman chasing the opposition. Without Fred we would not have that capacity. It will be like SAF trying to play Veron, Scholes and Keano in the same team. Or rather Sven trying to play Becks, Gerrard, Lampard and Scholes in the same team. The team will get out of balance if we drop Fred and Matic.
 
Foxbatt said:
Neither Pogba nor Bruno can defend and that means if we play Scott he has to defend. He is not very good in that position. Neither Pogba nor Bruno runs like a madman chasing the opposition. Without Fred we would not have that capacity. It will be like SAF trying to play Veron, Scholes and Keano in the same team. Or rather Sven trying to play Becks, Gerrard, Lampard and Scholes in the same team. The team will get out of balance if we drop Fred and Matic.
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It's like you just haven't seen Bruno play.
 
Want to see diamond..
Martial James
Bruno
Fred Pogba
Matic
​
More realistic to see..
Martial
Pogba Bruno James
Fred McT
​
Likely Ole will prefer this..
Martial
James Bruno Mata
Fred Pogba​
 
What We understand so far :
  1. Airplane mode Pogba will never play
  2. Half arsed Pogba is worse than Phil Jones in midfield
  3. But fully arsed Pogba is almost prime Iniesta
If He continues his career at ManUnited, We need to understand all of the above, and play him according to his mode. Raiola seems to know about this better than anyone so it's better for Ole to ask him before every game, the Pogba whisperer.

O : "Hey you fat man, what's his mode for tomorrow?"
R : "It's half arsed mode, boss"
Plays BFS

O : "Hey you fat man, what's his mode for tomorrow?"
R : "He's on a plane, boss"
Plays BFS

O : "Hey you fat man, what's his mode for tomorrow?"
R : "He's raring to go, had a haircut, coloured it Red and had been playing Glory Glory ManUnited in his room, boss"
Plays BPS
 
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tenpoless said:
What We understand so far :
  1. Airplane mode Pogba will never play
  2. Half arsed Pogba is worse than Phil Jones in midfield
  3. But fully arsed Pogba is almost prime Iniesta
If He continues his career at ManUnited, We need to understand all of the above, and play him according to his mode. Raiola seems to know about this better than anyone so it's better for Ole to ask him before every game, the Pogba whisperer.

O : "Hey you fat man, what's his mode for tomorrow?"
R : "It's half arsed mode, boss"
Plays BFS

O : "Hey you fat man, what's his mode for tomorrow?"
R : "He's on a plane, boss"
Plays BFS

O : "Hey you fat man, what's his mode for tomorrow?"
R : "He's raring to go, had a haircut, coloured it Red and had been playing Glory Glory ManUnited in his room, boss"
Plays BPS
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christ. You can tell the Pogba fans/online “fans” from match going/real fans

and we thought we’d get rid of glory hunters/fanboys/manboys once Fergie retired

some great discussion on here but feck me, Moyes was a better manager than some of these are supporters
 
Denis' cuff said:
christ. You can tell the Pogba fans/online “fans” from match going/real fans

and we thought we’d get rid of glory hunters/fanboys/manboys once Fergie retired

some great discussion on here but feck me, Moyes was a better manager than some of these are supporters
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Calm down great United fan, it was just a joke. I know your views on United are much more important, aside from calling people glory hunters of course. Which is very much against what you're against - adding nothing to the discussion.

My point was, if He is fully committed He will improve the team. Easily. But as of now We don't understand what He wants and/or Raiola wants. So maybe the question should be "Where does Pogba fit in if He stays?" rather than this one. I wouldn't want any of our currently performing midfielders being sidelined just because Pogba is suddenly available. He needs to work his way into the team.

And yes, Moyes is a better manager than me.
 
I’m genuinely excited to see Pogba and Bruno in the same line up. It could be magical. Play them two alongside Fred, also maybe consider another defensive midfielder (Partey?) and we would be sorted. Rashford, Martial and Sancho up front and that’s arguably a title competing front 6.
 
Now that we have Fred fully firing and Bruno doing his thing further forward, Pogba will have the free role in midfield nailed, we will see a different Pogba.
 
Suvvernmanc said:
Now that we have Fred fully firing and Bruno doing his thing further forward, Pogba will have the free role in midfield nailed, we will see a different Pogba.
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Bruno currently has the free role though. So you are saying take it away from Bruno ( make him drop deep / more disciplined) and give it to pogba.
 
When Pogba is fit he chooses himself. Incredible talent and I can’t wait to see him in our first 11 again. Diamond with Fred, McTomminay / Bruno & Pogba might work.

Pogba’s best form last season came from him pulling out wide at first in more attacking areas so do that again. His form last season for that month or two was actually insane. Best I’ve seen from a United player since RVP.
 
No matter how we progress from here Paul Pogba will continue to make it about himself. His agent should be banned from the club, most of his players are shit anyway so no loss. Pogba is only sounding out staying because no one else wants him. Everyone mentions Real and Juventus but outside of a few platitudes from Zidane, fecking crickets. Pogba will end up at PSG where he's perfectly suited. If they could take De Gea for big cash that would also be a bonus.
I would prefer this club moved forward without Pogba, Lingard and Jones. The first two just don't seem serious about improving the fortunes of United. This squad needs a break from the last few shitty seasons with players caring only about themselves.
 
Redlyn said:
Bruno currently has the free role though. So you are saying take it away from Bruno ( make him drop deep / more disciplined) and give it to pogba.
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Playing Bruno as a number 10 with Pogba playing in a 2 man midfield with Fred/Mctominay/Matic would still work. It's how ole has deployed us with Pogba earlier on. Of course it would take discipline form both Bruno and Pogba when pushing forward to not leave us short, but it would be good. I personally think a diamond would be best until we get a right winger in.

Martial--striker
Bruno
Pogba--Fred
Matic
 
Redlyn said:
Bruno currently has the free role though. So you are saying take it away from Bruno ( make him drop deep / more disciplined) and give it to pogba.
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The role of Bruno is quite delicate indeed. It seems Ole often gives him specific instructions during halftime and he plays differently in the second half. On his debut against Wolves he played much deeper while in some other matches he helped overloading the left in the second half. I don't want to drift away from the topic too much but I think he handles his role quite well and I don't see any reason to take it away.

Meanwhile, I don't think Pogba needs a free role either. He did play in a disciplined role representing France and he managed to do well. His strengths are his (1) physical ability, allowing him to hold onto ball; (2) dribbling skills to bring the ball from back to front; (3) ridiculous passing range for quick transition. This skill set means he is more suitable for a deeper role responsible for organizing attack as well as antipressing, instead of a purely offensive duty. He can still make occassional forward runs when needed.
 
All this talk about giving Pogba a free role is concerning. Despite his talent, he's a player with a serious attitude problem. You can't just reward a player like that with a role that requires a good attitude.
 
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