Great analysis.
Paul Pogba may have come in the 17th minute of Manchester United’s 0-0 draw with Sevilla, but the Frenchman hadn’t initially been a part of Jose Mourinho’s game-plan.
The United boss opted to go with a midfield three of Nemanja Matic, Scott McTominay and Ander Herrera in the first leg of the Champions League last-16 clash in Seville, but his plans were disrupted when Herrera picked up an early injury.
On came Pogba as Herrera’s replacement, but the Frenchman was unable to assert his authority in the game enough to give United a lead heading into the return leg at Old Trafford in three weeks’ time.
After news of Pogba’s omission from the starting line-up was confirmed, the RTE panel analysed the reasons for a possible breakdown in the midfielder’s relationship with Mourinho, with Damien Duff doing a particularly good job of highlighting the former Juventus man’s indiscipline.
Damien Duff doesn't hold back on Paul Pogba. "He doesn't smell danger. I don't want to call him lazy, I just daydreams." Follow Sevilla v Manchester United here https://t.co/VUu6QoPpCM pic.twitter.com/n5LZNM63Dq
— RTÉ Soccer (@RTEsoccer) February 21, 2018
Duff used examples of Pogba failing to scan over his shoulder and spot runners to argue that he perhaps cannot be trusted in the big games. The former Republic of Ireland international criticised the 24-year-old’s inability to constantly scan over his shoulder.
Have a look at Luka Modric in the clip below, playing for Croatia.
The Real Madrid midfielder is constantly checking over his shoulder. In the first eight seconds of that clip, the former Spurs man has already looked sideways six times. It’s this heightened reading of the game that has allowed Modric to become one of the most consistent, effective and tactically astute midfielders in the game.
Having spent £89m, it’s what Mourinho expects – and demands – from Pogba.
However, as illustrated in Duff’s analysis, Pogba has the a tendency of switching off, often at the crucial moment. Against CSKA Moscow in the Champions League group stage earlier this season, Pogba’s failure to track the runner resulted in United conceding a goal.
“Even if you’re an advanced midfielder, there will come a time during a game when you’re going to have to defend, and I think he’ll always let you down” Duff told RTE presenter Darragh Maloney.
He's not wrong https://t.co/SmXbWmy1zQ
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) February 22, 2018
“He doesn’t smell danger. I would always think, if I could see the number on the back of my opponent’s shirt, I was in trouble. I think he should know this by 24 years of age”
It’s interesting that Duff used the Champions League final in 2015 to draw attention to Pogba’s inability to snuff out a threat. That was nearly three years ago, when he allowed Ivan Rakitic to slip past him and into a position from which the Barcelona midfielder scored. The fact that Pogba doesn’t seem to have adequately brushed up this part of his game may go some way in explaining Mourinho’s dwindling trust in him.
Duff’s assertion that Pogba is ‘reactive, not proactive’ certainly has credence to it and it will be interesting to see how United fare this Sunday when they welcome Chelsea to Old Trafford. Herrera has been used as a dedicated man-marker on Eden Hazard by Mourinho in the past and, while we certainly don’t expect Pogba to be fulfilling that role, it’s highly likely the France international will return to the starting line-up.
