Is Pogba really an average player?

Football is a game and profession with a lot of mental demands. Having potential is not enough to be a world-class top professional. You must be willing to add an equal amount of hunger and passion with that talent to succeed at this level. This is one thing Cristiano Ronaldo has that makes me to love him and it is what is lacking in a lot of other footballers; resulting in unfulfilled potential. When Pogba was at the Manchester United youth team and was burning with passion and hunger, he asked for playing time under the then manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, but he was refused. This was the main determinant of his move away from Old Trafford to Italy, when he signed for Juventus. He carried along with him that hunger and passion; wanting to prove Ferguson was wrong and alas he did just that and he was a massive success at Juventus winning the Serie A, Coppa Italia as well as a run to the Champions League Final.

Image Source: Ardfern, Creative Commons

This birthed his world-record move back to Manchester United in 2016. Even though figures show that he has somewhat better stats than what his critics will want to accept, there is no arguing that somehow upon resigning for Man utd, his hunger disappeared; or at best seriously waned. Having proven a point of his ability, he was like an hungry whom has now fully eaten and could not be less worried. He become relax and rather become an entertainer posting pictures of his hair and videos of his dancing skill social media platforms. He is the leader, perhaps the founder of the dance troop in the dressing room. While being playful is in itself not bad, if it is to uplift the general morale of the team, however, there is need for moderation and football is a game that needs a lot of concentration.

Pogba was given a break in the FA cup game against Yeovil to put him in top shape against Tottenham. Alas, he was so poor he was substituted after about 60 minutes! Probably the first time he will be substituted in a game based on performance and not injury. The group of Lingard, Pogba and Anthony Martial especially the first two are so keen on their social media presence than on-pitch performance. While Lingard current form might be good, he needs to relax, or perhaps be cautioned, he is not even at the level of Raheem Sterling yet despite being older! And I am afraid that attitude is rubbing off on Marcus Rashford already.

I don’t know if Alex Ferguson would have allowed this same type of attitude, but different managers have different approaches to games. Sometimes it is very difficult to believe if these players do reflect on previous games and do a self-assessment of the performances that are below par. And it is a massive statement from Jose Mourinho that he substituted Pogba against Spurs. It was only quite unfortunate it turned out to be a mistake as his replacement, Fellaini, barely managed 15 minutes before he came off injured.

The current group of players in the Manchester United team are not short of talents to mount a successful challenge for Silverwares (when compared with the Ferguson last winning team), but they are extremely lacking in mental readiness and their attitude and winning mentality is non-existent! I hope Mourinho will be able to find a lasting solution to this soon!

There is no doubting the talent of Pogba and Martial; however, without the right mental attitude to games, I am afraid they might just be the next promising talents that faded too early!

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