Ignore the blah, blah, blah - the Paul Pogba thread

Pogba on his career, his relationship with Mourinho etc...

www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/premier-league/manchester-united/i-do-my-job-he-does-his-paul-pogba-fuels-rumours-of-strained-relationship-with-jose-mourinho-36978119.html

With comments such as these, is it any surprise that the links to another high priced CM are still making the rounds? I hope Pogba will still be a United player by the August, but at the same token, certainly not taking anything for granted either anymore.
There's some weird stuff going on the DL, with talk of Raiola quietly trying to shop his guy around. You get the feeling that if they can get someone to bite (someone willing to get United their money back and who could afford the wages), then he'd be gone, thus paving the road for Sergej.
Just hoping Pogba can have himself a good WC and then use that as a springboard for the coming season with United, where he finally becomes the player we hope him to be.

 

🗣 "I've always played like that. You're not going to criticise Messi when he walks on the park. No-one can tell me how to play."

- Paul Pogba on the criticism of his playing style. 👀👊 pic.twitter.com/W5Inl6amg5

— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) June 5, 2018

 

And that, is exactly his problem.

 

If he really said that, were ********ed.

 

http://www.espn.com/espn/feature/st...france-star-paul-pogba-looking-impress-russia

Not actually that much from Pogba himself in here, but it's interesting if you want more of an insight into the man.

 

Just read the whole interview in France Football and honestly, he comes across very whiny and kind of angry even, like he's hurt by what is said about him.
He sounds determined enough to do well and win (very defiant as well), but he keeps going on about how it's unfair and not right that it's all on him (in terms of criticism) when the team does not do well.
I assume that spurs him on. Would have loved to actually see his reaction throughout this interview though to get a better sense of how he feels.

 

The translation of Pogs's interview with France Football for anyone interested...

Paul Pogba, the French midfielder, is aware of how he is viewed and he makes it clear that nothing or no one will change him. He believes that his displays are not appreciated as they should.

- On public opinion
I don't live for people, what they think, for them to say that I'm nice, good, the best or perfect. Everyone has their own opinions. And I respect that. I play football, I do what I love. The people close to me have my back. They're who matter. You can't like everyone or be liked by everyone either. It would be perfect and nothing in this world is perfect. It won't hurt me if someone tells me: "I don't like you." it's your right, you don't have to like me.

- On the visual impression he gives on the field.
I've always been this way. What I've won, I've won it by being this way. That's me. It's my style. You are noy going to criticize Messi when he walks on the pitch. He scores 3 goals but you're going to say he walks on the pitch? No.
You can't tell me how to play. No one can. I've gotten where I am today by being this way. No one can tell me how to be. It's my game, that's it, whether people like it or not. Do I need for people to like me? For people to judge me differently? For them to talk differently about me?

- On his usage in a 4-3-3
If it does not work, it's on me. And you think that's fair? Think about it: even if I have a good game, but we don't win, who are people going to criticize? Me! And if we don't have the ball, what happens then? Because I'm at my best with the ball. It's not fair and it's not normal. I'm not judged like everyone else, so therefore I am different. I take it as a challenge: you can underline that.

- On the WC
I don't know (if France is going to win the WC). We can do it but so can other teams. All I can say to everyone at this time is see you July 15th.

The original article, in French, can be found on www.francefootball.fr

 

Still want to believe that the current atmosphere and all the (not so positive) talk surrounding Pogba, puts him in a perfect situation to come out at the WC like gangbusters and quiet the growing number of critics.
That is what big time players do. He must deliver and surely he's aware of this. Failure to do well in Russia would likely put him in an unenviable position going into next season. As Frank Leboeuf suggests, he needs to keep quiet, just play and show what he's really about.

 

And if so, that's probably why Fergie got shot in the first place.

 

For me personally, eventhough I'm still sore about Pogba leaving the club 6yrs ago, when it's all said and done, it's hard to argue with all the success he got in Italy. And I realize he wasn't the central part of the team, and that he was surrounded by some major talent. Yet he still showed glimpses of his great talent in his time with Juve. He still produced and proved he was justified in his decision to leave.
What has disappointed me since his return is the fact that he hasn't fully kicked on yet the way he was expected to. He came back from Italy, and while he was not the finished article yet, it was expected of him to start taking big steps towards the next phase of his career that would seal his place as one of the genuine stars of the game.
In 2 seasons at the club, he hasn't really done so yet. Granted, it can be argued that he hasn't necessarily had luck on his side (with injuries for instance), but overall, his return has been underwhelming and leave us fans wanting. And it's not just at club level also, but that "funk" of his appears to be apparent at national team level as well.
At 25 now, it stands to reason that he's at a crossroads in terms of his career and the question is: will he go on becoming the superstar and top, top player he's supposed to be or will his career go the other way and thus ultimately be a disappointment? Still hoping for the former, but the time is now and in light of his recent comments, I'm a bit worried of what could happen if he does not show up on the biggest stage at the WC.

 

Pre-Sanchez he was fine. Pre the Liverpool 0-0 he was excellent.

I don’t know if anything else happened besides Sanchez occupying his space and taking the place of Martial. But if the root of his problems hasn’t changed and he wants to leave then I hope he makes it clear nice and early. I’ll be utterly furious if we stick it out one more season, don’t sign SMS who instead moves to Real/Juve/PSG, and Pogba subsequently underwhelms and wants out next summer. To me it almost feels like there’s more risk in sticking rather than twisting.

 

No one else thinks much of this?

 

Solid analysis Ashur.

When we say Rafael get the start in midfield -- yes, midfield -- over Pogba you could almost literally hear the global online meltdown wondering WTF? was Fergie was thinking.

It was unforgettable, was it not?

Pogba made the right decision to leave, given the lack of trust Ferguson gave one of the greatest young players to make it to the first team under his tenure.

And on this point, a bit of mythbusting is in order: Later in his career Ferguson was far less given to giving his young players a chance -- Pogba is a classic case in point. It was Van Gaal who really gave young players a chance like a banshee and it was fantastic to watch it, but our results on the pitch were disappointing during his tenure -- see his ignominious sacking.

Anyway, spot on re Pogba not reaching anything remotely resembling his peak ability so far for United. It's above our pay grade to know all the reasons, but Mourinho's mismanagement of him is a part of the explanation. Pogba is a special talent and needs to be treated as such, not just another good player. If that doesn't work for Mourinho, so be it, and we might as well ship him off to Spain and bring in a good player who does fit in Mourinho's plans. I hope that's not the case.

 

His comments from that interview (let alone his inconsistent performances in the past 6mos) are a big reason why I was implying how important the WC coming up is in regards to his overall future. If he doesn't change in any way the narrative about him, and as much as I hate to think it, then perhaps we ought to think about cutting our losses as best we can and go after Sergej.
Going into a season where he's not in form and not on the same page as Mourinho is not desirable in the least. And perhaps the choice should be removed from him entirely.
Letting Pogba go is a risk (one that would be seriously mitigated with the acquisition of Sergej though), but conversely keeping him could be considered almost just as big a risk as well.

 

To be blunt, I'd rather we twist now. Ship his ass out now and move for SMS now. Both are gambles, but I just think SMS is a way better fit for where we seem to be heading under Mou.

 

I don't think that was entirely true. Correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't he giving Cleverley minutes that he could have been giving Pogba? I know Pogba was younger but both he and Cleverley got their first Premiership appearances in 2011-12 and the following year both were getting regular minutes for Juve and United respectively.

I seem to recall Pogba wanting more starts and a big raise and Fergie refusing - though he also felt that Pogba had already decided to go to Juve before they got to that point.

Hmm. Both this and...

...this...

I know I'm probably looking at this the wrong way but I'm very much not interested in Mourinho's plans. I honestly don't see the guy sticking around for very long, even if he does find some success - which I don't think many of us are optimistic about.

I was all for Mourinho coming in because his record speaks for itself. I now feel I was wrong. I don't trust the Jose Mourinho of 2018 with directing the building of our squad.

I agree with this. I think he's done better than he gets credit for and while the attitude doesn't seem to be great, neither does Mourinho's.

I don't trust him, least of all because even a Sanchez that was disinterested at Arsenal, has regressed since coming here.

 

It's also translated and about how he comes across visually, not how he plays tactically.

 

What should not be lost here is the fact that, at the time, we broke the world transfer record to get him. He was not acquired to be just decent or ok for us: he was supposed to be one of the very best players on the team and a difference maker for us.
I get that there should be progress curve allowed for him, but what is alarming is that any real progress is marginal at best. And worse, his mediocre play has transposed over to the French national team. So it bears the question: is this just a terrible patch of form or is he not what everyone thought (himself included) he was?
And with a player very similar in many ways available this summer in Sergej, it's only normal to question what to do with him, especially since Mourinho, for the time being at least, has full backing from the people who matter in that regard. The relationship between both men not being the warmest by the looks of it, is definitely cause for concern, when thinking about getting the best out of him as well...
I've mentioned previously my belief that in a straight choice between Pogba and Mourinho for Woodward, Pogba would more than likely be the one chosen. But it's clear that it was an incorrect assumption on my part. Which is another reason that if we're not sure whether Pogs's best form can be attained under Mourinho, perhaps the difficult choice to let him go, in favor of Sergej who appears to be more Jose's type, would have to be considered (especially in the event Pogba has a poor WC with France).

 

You're probably right.

I just can't get over the actual skill the kid has. When he's on, he maneuvers the ball like his opponents are moving in slow motion.

We saw at Juve what he can achieve if he plays well. We've even seen his talent on display here. I guess I'm just cautious because we saw him move on once before and perform and I'd hate for that to happen a second time.

But if we're sticking with Mou, you're right, we should probably cater to what works for him.

I just hope we don't go in that direction, have an underwhelming season and find that we've built a team based on a style that hasn't been successful and doesn't fit the traditional culture of the team.

 

Thinking that guys like Pogba (or even Martial) would outlive Mourinho at the club is the reason I believed Woodward would side with the players, if a situation arose of "either/or". Alas...
It is interesting to think of our future and what the state of the state of the club will be once Jose leaves. We probably will be one of the oldest teams of the top tiered one in the league and if Jose stays another 2 seasons tops, we could be looking at a major rebuild of the team by then. We shall see...

 

Fergie played Rafael and Park in midfield ahead of Pogba. He would have been stupid to stay.

 

That pissed me off, I think that was against Blackburn.

 

It was vs Blackburn indeed. A memory so traumatic for me back then that I had unknowingly repressed it from my memory for quite some time...

The making of Paul Pogba.

www.bbc.com/sport/football/44228259

 

I can personally corroborate this claim.