Man Utd: What is the problem with Paul Pogba - and what is the solution?
Paul Pogba has been getting a lot of criticism recently but, if I am ever negative about him, it is only because he is such a wonderfully gifted player that I want to see him do so much more.
Although the £89m Manchester United midfielder has not been making or scoring the goals I would expect from him in the past few weeks, that is partly down to the role he has been asked to play and the players who are around him.
United manager Jose Mourinho needs balance in his team and he is still trying to find his best XI.
Mourinho has got so much attacking talent that sometimes Pogba is asked to play deeper, and he has also had to build a new relationship with Alexis Sanchez since the Chile international joined United from Arsenal in January.
Pogba has had to work out what Sanchez is going to do when he cuts inside, and where he fits into that, and learn how to adapt his game and find his own space.
All of that has affected the impact the France international has had on matches, not just with his goals and assists, but with his shots and the number of chances he has created.
He has only made one chance for a team-mate in the six games he has played since Sanchez signed on 22 January, a short pass inside the area to set up Marcus Rashford (who shot wide) in the 87th minute against Sevilla.
That was Pogba's only touch in the Sevilla box, and it came after Sanchez had been replaced by Rashford.
Paul Pogba - before and after Sanchez's arrival at Man Utd in all competitions | ||
---|---|---|
Before Sanchez (up to 22 Jan) | 2017-18 | With Sanchez (since 22 Jan) |
20 (1,669) | Games played (minutes) | 6 (407) |
3 | Goals | 0 |
10 | Assists | 0 |
38 | Chances created | 1 |
2.05 | Chances created/90 min | 0.22 |
58 | Shots | 9 |
3.13 | Shots/90 min | 1.99 |
3.67 | Touches in opp box/90 min | 2.21 |
Mourinho sending out message - but not just to Pogba
Mourinho dropped Pogba for the first leg of their Champions League tie with Sevilla, but I am not sure what the manager's motivation was with that decision.
Pogba is United's best midfielder and he was also straight back in the starting XI for their next game.
It was a kick up the backside, like many people said, but not just for Pogba. I don't think it was about getting more out of him, because he would have cracked on anyway.
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