Paul Pogba had a terrific summer as he helped France claim the World Cup in Russia.

He arrived back in Manchester amid reports that he was disgruntled, didn’t get on with his Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho and that Pogba wanted to move to FC Barcelona.

That move didn’t happen. The Frenchman had good start to the season against Leicester City and it seemed as though he was starting the Premier League campaign as he ended his World Cup one.

The energetic middle-man has plenty of self confidence in his own ability, so much so that one President Donald J Trump would probably be jealous.

Then the superstar midfielder had two iffy performances, much like everyone else at Old Trafford, as United lost out to Brighton and Hove Albion and then Tottenham Hotspur.

That inconsistency has been the tale of Pogba since his return to Man United in 2016. He shows glimpses of greatness in games and then a week later he can be very ordinary or mistakes creep into his game.

Yet in the last three fixtures United have stepped up a gear and Paul has once again started to shine and dictate games.

Mourinho seems ready to placate his star central midfielder. For the majority of games so far, Jose has had United playing in a 4-3-3 formation a style that we know gets the best out of the twenty-five year old midfielder. It also looks as though in recent fixtures, Pogba has been given the freedom to venture further forward and see as much of the ball as possible. The French internationalist loves the responsibility of being his team’s talisman and it looks as though Mourinho is finally allowing him to become that type of player at Man Utd.

The Portuguese boss has also given the flamboyant Frenchman the captain’s armband on a few occasions this term.

The added responsibility has also seen Pogba take United’s penalties, he’s banged in three out of four during this campaign. After missing a recent spot kick in a win against Burnley, Pogba dusted himself down to score the next one.

He was quick to thank Mourinho for keeping faith in him. Jose was also on hand to praise the player:

“I like the player to have the courage to take a penalty after one that he missed. I like that.”

“He missed against Burnley. The next penalty the team has, he is there to take it, to make it 2-0 and to kill the game for us.”

These things have seen a marked improvement in Paul’s displays for the Red Devils.

He’s seeing more and more of the ball and he’s now showcasing his creative skills, his vision and his wide range of passes that can split defences open. The midfielder is also getting forward more with dynamic bursts from the engine room into the the final third.

His relationships with Romelu Lukaku, Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard have always been strong but it also looks as though there’s a growing understanding between Pogba and Chilean forward Alexis Sanchez. Paul has the ability to spot runs and provide the perfect pass for the runners. If Man United are to succeed then their best players need to shine and combine and that includes getting more out of Alexis.

In his opening six games of this season, Man United’s number six has scored four goals and created an assist. His passing success rate is at 81.5% in the league and at 92.6% in the Champions League. He is also averaging around 60 attempted passes per game.

His league passing stats could be higher. Pogba likes to be ambitious with his passing and those world class looking passes don’t always come off but when they do then they can lead to something special.

On average he’s making 1.6 tackles per game, attempting around 1.2 dribbles and around 1.6 key passes.

When Paul Pogba is on form, then he can be almost unplayable. He can dictate games as he sees plenty of the ball and makes superb passes that start attacks.

He was superb against Young Boys in Bern during their Champions League encounter. He dominated the game and United secured a vital away win in the process.

Man United need that Paul Pogba – The creative force, the leader on the pitch and the man that can win games with his unique mixture of drive and skill.

The World Cup winner needs to continue to embrace his new responsibilities and keep on shining!

If he can add consistency to his game then he’ll once and for all prove that he’s one of the best midfielders currently playing.

If he can do that and continually be a match winner, then Pogba could become a great and importantly for the Old Trafford faithful he could also make Manchester United great again!

Posted on September 21st, 2018 by scott
Filed under: Article