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Pogba

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posted on 3/11/21

comment by GregOle (U1192)
posted 4 minutes ago
What is his position?

I certainly don't think he's a player who can play in a midfield 2.
He needs two hard working CMs behind him, which means Bruno gets dropped or apparently as a left winger in a 4-3-3 which then means you gotta drop someone who's actually a wide forward.

He's not good enough to replace what we currently have there so he either stays as a bit part player or leaves for free (again).
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All true, and this is the root of the problem. Do you build a team around someone as unreliable as him and drop players who consistently deliver for you, or do you accept he's a dead loss and concentrate on the players who'll take you forward.

All this stuff about 'yeah, but he's good for France' is a red herring.

comment by Elvis (U7425)

posted on 3/11/21

comment by Robbb Rashford (U22716)
posted 9 minutes ago
comment by GregOle (U1192)
posted 46 seconds ago
What is his position?

I certainly don't think he's a player who can play in a midfield 2.
He needs two hard working CMs behind him, which means Bruno gets dropped or apparently as a left winger in a 4-3-3 which then means you gotta drop someone who's actually a wide forward.

He's not good enough to replace what we currently have there so he either stays as a bit part player or leaves for free (again).



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Ideally the left of a midfield three but I actually think (though it won’t happen) he’d be good in a midfield two with Declan Rice.
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I have always said that the only place he should be used is as the No.10 with no defensive responsibilities. With Bruno in the team, that is never going to happen. I know that he can play on the left of a 4, but with the options we have on the left, I just don't think he is at the head of the queue there.

An interesting idea regarding Rice, but I don't think we are ever going to know now whether that might work. Time to get rid for me.

comment by Elvis (U7425)

posted on 3/11/21

comment by The Post Nearly Man. Regular Human Bartender. (U1270)
posted 7 minutes ago
comment by GregOle (U1192)
posted 4 minutes ago
What is his position?

I certainly don't think he's a player who can play in a midfield 2.
He needs two hard working CMs behind him, which means Bruno gets dropped or apparently as a left winger in a 4-3-3 which then means you gotta drop someone who's actually a wide forward.

He's not good enough to replace what we currently have there so he either stays as a bit part player or leaves for free (again).
----------------------------------------------------------------------
All true, and this is the root of the problem. Do you build a team around someone as unreliable as him and drop players who consistently deliver for you, or do you accept he's a dead loss and concentrate on the players who'll take you forward.

All this stuff about 'yeah, but he's good for France' is a red herring.
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Agreed. We saw in the WC that Pogba can play a more defensive role if he wants to. I thought he played fantastic for France there. But is was a short term position that he was prepared to play for his country. He has never shown that same commitment for our club.

posted on 3/11/21

Tbf to Pogba, it’s on our recruitment policy that we never bought a long term world class DM signing to help him. He looked good with Matic and Herrera in a midfield 3 under Jose for a while but when Matic ran out of gas that experiment was dropped. Pogba will always for me be an ‘if only we’d gotten Kante too in 2016’ signing

posted on 3/11/21

If Pogba put out for France the sort of performances he puts out for United, he'd be benched with the quickness. At United he facks up in one game and he knows he'll still be first name on the team sheet next week. Some players don't perform under such conditions.

posted on 3/11/21

comment by The Post Nearly Man. Regular Human Bartender. (U1270)
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Do you build a team around someone as unreliable as him and drop players who consistently deliver for you
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yes, because we're just full of players "who consistently deliver". how many good games has fred had this season? mctominay? maguire? shaw?

bruno has 3 assists in his past 25 PL games - one of which was a 5 yard pass for greenwood to bang in from 30 yards - so is that consistently delivering? how about sancho (zero goals, zero assists), is that consistent?

and why is it that the idea of pogba playing in his preferred position is always framed as "building the team around him"? we've made zero attempt to do that in 5 years, absolutely zero, so no idea why this is used as yet another stick to beat him with.

what you should all be asking is why, having begun this season in great form as a more forward player, the manager decided to start shifting him around the pitch. it certainly wasn't because he wasn't performing further forward - he is still the leading assist creator in the pl - but purely because the manager doesn't appear to trust our other midfield options (rightly so, they're not very good).

oh, and in terms of our midfield two combinations this season, pogba has the best record of any of them.

posted on 3/11/21



So Pogba's an average player, unless he has Kante next to him and then he's guite good?

He'll be on a long list if that's the case.

posted on 3/11/21

comment by Thorgen Kloppinson - I got 5 on it. (U1282)
posted 3 minutes ago
If Pogba put out for France the sort of performances he puts out for United, he'd be benched with the quickness. At United he facks up in one game and he knows he'll still be first name on the team sheet next week. Some players don't perform under such conditions.
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You might be on to something there

posted on 3/11/21

Yeah but dabs and silly haircuts

posted on 3/11/21

comment by The Post Nearly Man. Regular Human Bartender. (U1270)
posted 1 minute ago


So Pogba's an average player, unless he has Kante next to him and then he's guite good?

He'll be on a long list if that's the case.
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he's played fewer than half his games for france alongside kante, and was just instrumental (rated 4th best player in the tournament) in winning the nations league playing alongside tchouameni.

but robb is right, we play him in a two (behind forwards who do very little pressing) with players who are a) not actually cdms and b) not very good, and then wonder why he struggles.

posted on 3/11/21

Bottom line for me is that he's a great player when he's given time to play (we saw that against Leeds), put under pressure he can become a liability. Great players make their own space and shape the game, he's great when the game suits him.

I know this feels a bit harsh, and he's a character I like, but he'll suit a league where he gets more time on the ball and he can be measured by his creativity.

posted on 3/11/21

comment by The Post Nearly Man. Regular Human Bartender. (U1270)
posted 3 minutes ago
comment by Thorgen Kloppinson - I got 5 on it. (U1282)
posted 3 minutes ago
If Pogba put out for France the sort of performances he puts out for United, he'd be benched with the quickness. At United he facks up in one game and he knows he'll still be first name on the team sheet next week. Some players don't perform under such conditions.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
You might be on to something there
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Not really.

Pogba is hardly the first name on the team sheet. He quite often finds himself left out of the big games.

comment by Elvis (U7425)

posted on 3/11/21

comment by Don Draper's dandruff (U20155)
posted 54 seconds ago
comment by The Post Nearly Man. Regular Human Bartender. (U1270)
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Do you build a team around someone as unreliable as him and drop players who consistently deliver for you
----------------------------------------------------------------------
yes, because we're just full of players "who consistently deliver". how many good games has fred had this season? mctominay? maguire? shaw?

bruno has 3 assists in his past 25 PL games - one of which was a 5 yard pass for greenwood to bang in from 30 yards - so is that consistently delivering? how about sancho (zero goals, zero assists), is that consistent?

and why is it that the idea of pogba playing in his preferred position is always framed as "building the team around him"? we've made zero attempt to do that in 5 years, absolutely zero, so no idea why this is used as yet another stick to beat him with.

what you should all be asking is why, having begun this season in great form as a more forward player, the manager decided to start shifting him around the pitch. it certainly wasn't because he wasn't performing further forward - he is still the leading assist creator in the pl - but purely because the manager doesn't appear to trust our other midfield options (rightly so, they're not very good).

oh, and in terms of our midfield two combinations this season, pogba has the best record of any of them.
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Bruno actually has 4 assists in that period. And 10 goals. 14 goal involvements in 25 games isn't terrible.

He created more big chances in the PL than anyone last season and is joint second this season. I'd say that pretty consistent.

comment by Elvis (U7425)

posted on 3/11/21

comment by The Post Nearly Man. Regular Human Bartender. (U1270)
posted 1 minute ago
Bottom line for me is that he's a great player when he's given time to play (we saw that against Leeds), put under pressure he can become a liability. Great players make their own space and shape the game, he's great when the game suits him.

I know this feels a bit harsh, and he's a character I like, but he'll suit a league where he gets more time on the ball and he can be measured by his creativity.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

100% correct.

If you put pressure on Pogba he makes mistakes, as he is too confident of his own ability in close situations. For all his undoubted ability, his close control of the ball under pressure isn't good enough.

posted on 3/11/21

comment by Elvis: King of Cult (U7425)
posted 2 minutes ago
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Bruno actually has 4 assists in that period. And 10 goals. 14 goal involvements in 25 games isn't terrible.

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and bruno plays every single game in his preferred position, every single one.

over this and last season pogba has 2 goals and 10 assists in his last 18 games when played as a "left midfielder", ie a more forward role ahead of 2 other midfielders.

i'd say that's pretty consistent, ahead of most of our players.

for some reason pogba is always defined by what he doesn't do - he missed a tackle! - whereas others are defined by what they do do. pogba for instance got more assists vs leeds than fred and mctominay have in their PL careers combined - 3 in 182 matches.

posted on 3/11/21

comment by -bloodred- (U1222)
posted 14 minutes ago
comment by The Post Nearly Man. Regular Human Bartender. (U1270)
posted 3 minutes ago
comment by Thorgen Kloppinson - I got 5 on it. (U1282)
posted 3 minutes ago
If Pogba put out for France the sort of performances he puts out for United, he'd be benched with the quickness. At United he facks up in one game and he knows he'll still be first name on the team sheet next week. Some players don't perform under such conditions.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
You might be on to something there
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Not really.

Pogba is hardly the first name on the team sheet. He quite often finds himself left out of the big games.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Indeed. He didn’t even make the first eleven names against the dips. Ole for all his faults seems to have no problem dropping Pogba

comment by Elvis (U7425)

posted on 3/11/21

comment by Don Draper's dandruff (U20155)
posted 12 minutes ago
comment by Elvis: King of Cult (U7425)
posted 2 minutes ago
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Bruno actually has 4 assists in that period. And 10 goals. 14 goal involvements in 25 games isn't terrible.

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and bruno plays every single game in his preferred position, every single one.

over this and last season pogba has 2 goals and 10 assists in his last 18 games when played as a "left midfielder", ie a more forward role ahead of 2 other midfielders.

i'd say that's pretty consistent, ahead of most of our players.

for some reason pogba is always defined by what he doesn't do - he missed a tackle! - whereas others are defined by what they do do. pogba for instance got more assists vs leeds than fred and mctominay have in their PL careers combined - 3 in 182 matches.
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Hmm, I'd say that Pobga is quite at home on the left. He often operated in that area for Juve. That problem is that you can't have both Bruno and Pogba in the same team if neither of them are going to offer much defensively. I don't think Bruno has it in his locker to by that physical all action CM. Pogba does. We have seen it for United at times and more consistently for France. Especially in the world cup. But for whatever reason he doesn't have that same willingness to play the role for United and he often watches opposition players run past him instead of tracking their run. He is a supremely talented footballer in terms of natural ability. And a real physical specimen. But he doesn't have the desire/attitude/willingness to play the role that we need from him. So time to get shut and focus on the players that we do have and that give their al for the club.

posted on 3/11/21

comment by Vidicschin (U3584)
posted 7 minutes ago
comment by -bloodred- (U1222)
posted 14 minutes ago
comment by The Post Nearly Man. Regular Human Bartender. (U1270)
posted 3 minutes ago
comment by Thorgen Kloppinson - I got 5 on it. (U1282)
posted 3 minutes ago
If Pogba put out for France the sort of performances he puts out for United, he'd be benched with the quickness. At United he facks up in one game and he knows he'll still be first name on the team sheet next week. Some players don't perform under such conditions.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
You might be on to something there
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Not really.

Pogba is hardly the first name on the team sheet. He quite often finds himself left out of the big games.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Indeed. He didn’t even make the first eleven names against the dips. Ole for all his faults seems to have no problem dropping Pogba
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while i appreciate you rate pogba, yesterdays performance was inexcusable.

regardless of whether it is left of a 3, wide of a 4 or in a 2, a player of his ability should not be misplacing so many passes ( quite a few simple ones at that).
we were put under pressure far too many times by him giving the ball aay in dangerous areas ( he wasnt the only one, but he was the biggest culprit).

i dont think anyone doubts his ability, but they rightly doubt his concentration levels and desire at times

posted on 3/11/21

that was to Don BTW

posted on 3/11/21

I don't think the player you put next to Pogba is the deciding factor in what sort of performance you get from him. It's not about Kante (although anyone playing next to Kante will benefit).

He always looks much better for France, imo, because of a couple of factors: a better team structure off the ball that helps to mask some of his defensive deficiencies, and secondly, the early movement and attacking patterns offer him the ability to play in one, two & three touches. Our players often look ponderous in possession and Pogba has the ability and skill to hold onto the ball longer than most. As a result he gets caught more often, too. When he does have the chance to ping a first time pass into an area, he always looks far, far better, more productive and at times unplayable.

Some of his sloppiness can be attributed to poor decision making, but if we accept the premise that he looks better and more consistent for France then we also have to consider other reasons for his United form being so variable game to game.

Do we think for example that a prime Yaya Toure could be dropped into this United team and thrive in the same way he did at City in his pomp? I ask because they're similar players in their stature, physical presence, skill on the ball, passing range and less enthusiastic approach to the midfield dirty work.

We have to remember that we're a moments team. We don't play consistently well across most games as a team. Everything is a little bit scattered and improvised and lacking structure. It should be no surprise that Pogba is inconsistent for us - most of our players aren't much more consistent themselves, and for me that comes down to the coaching & set up.

posted on 3/11/21

comment by -bloodred- (U1222)
posted 4 hours, 20 minutes ago
comment by The Post Nearly Man. Regular Human Bartender. (U1270)
posted 3 minutes ago
comment by Thorgen Kloppinson - I got 5 on it. (U1282)
posted 3 minutes ago
If Pogba put out for France the sort of performances he puts out for United, he'd be benched with the quickness. At United he facks up in one game and he knows he'll still be first name on the team sheet next week. Some players don't perform under such conditions.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
You might be on to something there
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Not really.

Pogba is hardly the first name on the team sheet. He quite often finds himself left out of the big games.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Exactly. Dropped against Atalanta at home and Liverpool. Liverpool game aside a lot of his best performances for us come from the bench nowadays.

posted on 3/11/21

The guy is a complete and utter caant who has shown your club zero respect, & spends more time on his fackin image than turning up for you

quicker you bin this lazy fecker the better

comment by IAmMe (U18491)

posted on 3/11/21

Just cobblers

posted on 3/11/21

The guy is a complete and utter caant
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Well, he isnt. By all accounts he's a really down to Earth guy actually.

Just not a very consistent footballer.

posted on 3/11/21

Not a luxury player who only turns up when he fancies it.
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Do people actually believe this is a thing?

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