After more than two months, Pogba finally returned to Manchester United training, Manchester United manager Rangnick said in an official interview that even after two and a half months of injury, Pogba's performance is still good, whether in 6-on-6 or other sports, every moment shows extraordinary characteristics, full attention he can bring a lot of positive impact to the team. Meanwhile, Ronnick talked to Pogba for more than an hour after training sessions, and Pogba said he would continue to work hard until the end of the season.
The official Manchester United interview revealed a message: if nothing else, Pogba will not leave the team in the winter window, he will play for Manchester United until the end of the season. But this also raises another question - will Pogba stay in the team next season?
In a sense, pogba and Manchester United's current reconciliation is only temporary, and the "contradictions" between the two sides have a long history. Just a week into his presidency, Lonnick has said publicly: "Players have to want to stay and play for the club, and for a big club like Manchester United, if a player doesn't want to play for the team, in the long run, I don't think it makes any sense to convince him." ”
[Controversy and praise coexist, shaping into a "bizarre" Pogba]
Speaking of Pogba, on the one hand, we can't ignore his outstanding football talent, but on the other hand, many complicated negative news on the sidelines have also left Manchester United's coaching staff helpless. It is no exaggeration to say that Pogba is even one of the most controversial players in world football today, his ability is unquestionable, but his attitude has also been criticized.
Pogba was born on March 15, 1993 in Lanisur Marne, Paris, France, the third in his family, to parents who divorced pogba when he was two and a half years old, and then raised three sons by his mother alone. At the age of 6, Pogba joined the local amateur football club Roissy Ambre with the support of his mother and two older brothers, and it was here that Pogba, who had originally regarded football as a hobby, developed an excellent talent for football, joined Torcy Football Club in 2006, and gradually became the captain of the team's U13 echelon with his excellent performance.
In 2007, Pogba joined Le Havre FC and became captain of the team's U16 echelon in the second season, leading the team to the final stage of the U16 league. From the technical characteristics of his youth, Pogba is outstanding in height, but his skills are also excellent, whether it is forward threatening passes in the offensive midfield position or intercepting sweeps at the back and combing at the back position. In 2009, Pogba, who had been practicing for many years, finally got an invitation from Manchester United to start his Career as a Red Devils.
Overall, Pogba has performed quite well in the Manchester United youth team, making 21 appearances for Manchester United's U18 echelon in the 2009-2010 season, scoring seven goals, and is one of the main contributors to the Manchester United youth team winning the English Football Youth Premier League, and also helping the team reach the semi-finals in the playoffs as a main midfielder. Over the next 10-11 seasons, Pogba helped Manchester United youth win the FA Youth Cup, thus gaining a valuable opportunity to enter the first team.
Overall, however, pogba at the time had shown outstanding talent, but after all, the manchester United first team was full of superstars, and it was difficult for such a young player who did not have much experience in the game to get enough opportunities to play. Throughout the 11th-12th season, Pogba only made 7 appearances for the Red Devils first team, and there was nothing shiny about the overall performance.
At the end of the season, Pogba's contract with Manchester United expired, and in order to compete for more opportunities, the French midfielder did not renew his contract with Manchester United, and eventually joined Juventus Football Club in Serie A as a free agent. At the Bianconeri, Pogba's talent was further explored, and in the 12-13 season he made 37 appearances in all competitions, scoring five goals, helping Juventus win the Serie A title and taking the opportunity to win the 2013 European Golden Boy Award.
In the following seasons, Pogba became Juventus' main player, showing the best of the world in all competitions, including 49 appearances in all competitions in 15-16 seasons, scoring 10 goals and 15 assists. Pogba also won the Serie A assists of the season for his outstanding performances, helping the old woman win the Serie A title for five consecutive seasons, and was also selected for the 2015 FIFA Team of the Year and the UEFA Team of the Year.
On 27 May 2016, Mourinho was appointed United first-team manager. This is the starting point for a new era of personnel change for Manchester United. The Red Devils, who lacked an all-rounder in midfield at the time, performed well in Serie A and pogba, who had already played in the Premier League, entered the team's field of vision. In the end, Manchester United recruited the French superstar with a huge transfer fee of up to 89 million pounds, and the deal also broke the transfer fee record in world football at that time.
Under Mourinho's system, although slightly different from the tactical style popular in world football at that time, there were still commonalities in the use of midfield. Specifically, in the context of the era when the overall football style is biased towards oppression and control, the Manchester United midfielder represented by Pogba must not only do a good job in the transformation of ball rights and the connection from the back to the front, but also need to undertake a certain defensive interception under Mourinho's tactical system, and even deeply abdicate the heavy responsibility of assisting defense.
During this period, Pogba struggled slightly on the road to transformation, but the overall statistics were still relatively good - in the 16-17 season, he made 51 appearances for Manchester United in all competitions, scoring 9 goals and 6 assists; in the 18-19 season, the French midfielder ushered in a small highlight of his career, he made 47 appearances for the Red Devils in all competitions, and won a luxurious record of 16 goals and 11 assists.
【Moving Forward in the Struggle】
In the 15th and 16th seasons, Manchester United only finished fifth in the league and did not qualify for the Champions League. In the Champions League, Manchester United only finished 3rd in the group stage and failed to reach the Champions League knockout stage. In the Europa League knockout rounds, United defeated Midiland in the quarter-finals, but lost 1-3 to Liverpool in the quarter-finals, which was a two-legged defeat.
Overall, although there were some elite players in the Manchester United squad at that time, the overall tactical framework was not formed, and the locker room problems were not messed up. Against this backdrop, United's top brass spent a lot of money on mourinho, followed by the purchase of Pogba for a high price that broke the world football transfer record, demonstrating the attitude of comprehensive innovation from the dressing room atmosphere to the tactical framework.
Pogba's achievements at Juventus are there for all to see, and his wonderful individual performances have quickly made him the premier top midfielder in world football. After coming to Manchester United, Mourinho made a certain tactical deviation according to the technical characteristics of the Frenchman. But overall, even with a certain tactical shift, and considering that Mourinho has never been a manager who has adapted players to change formations and tactics, Pogba needs to take on some defensive responsibilities under Mourinho's system, and there is no way to get more central positions as they did under Juventus.
In terms of formation, mourinho has adopted a variety of changes in order to fully play the technical characteristics of Pogba. According to the data, at the beginning of the 16-17 season, Mourinho chose the 4231 formation as the first choice. After the 0-0 draw with Burnley, Mourinho began to use the 433 formation again, and since then he has used the 4141 formation against Liverpool, Stoke City, Arsenal and Crystal Palace. In league games against Middlesbrough and Chelsea, Mourinho also briefly played a 3-back formation (3421 against Middlesbrough and 352 against Chelsea).
16-17 Manchester United 1-1 Arsenal starting line-up
Overall, Mourinho's debut season with the Red Devils was dominated by 4231 and 433 formations. In the midfield area, Carrick, who was still in the team at the time, was in a relatively backward position, and could use his personal ability to sort out the ball from the back to the front, and at the same time, he could actively assist Herrera next to him and assume part of the interception sweeping responsibility. In the three-midfield system, Pogba is generally placed in the left midfield position, on the one hand, to adapt to the technical characteristics of his threatening ball pass after cutting inside, and on the other hand, to make up for the lack of high points when high school striker Ibrahimovic is unable to enter the box in time.
This tactical strategy has generally worked as well, and Pogba's performances in his debut season at Manchester United, while there is room for further improvement, are generally satisfactory. During the season, Pogba averaged 3.1 shots per game and 1.1 shots per game, ranking 1st and 2nd among all players in the same position, respectively. Meanwhile, Pogba, a tall midfielder, has also shown good foot skills in the Premier League, averaging 2.4 passes per game, ranking second among all players in the same position. Had it not been for his chance-taking capacity of only 29 per cent, Pogba's goals in the initial season would have increased further.
Of course, surprises often come with doubts. Although Mourinho's tactical characteristics have developed Pogba's technical potential, they have also made United's overall tactical framework more rigid. On the one hand, as a high school striker, Ibrahimovic undertook many tasks of withdrawal participation in the organization and scheduling, and the gradually increasing age made it impossible for the Swedish superstar to return to the penalty area to participate in the grab point as soon as the withdrawal organization was completed. Mourinho gave Pogba a heavier front-insertion task to compensate for this problem, on the one hand, increasing the participation of the French in the attack, but on the other hand, it could not guarantee the rate of arrival of each attack.
On the other hand, United's squad has accumulated a lot of high points, although there is no shortage of players with both height and foot skills, but overall the overall formation framework is slightly bulky, and there is a lack of flexibility in the process of attacking and defensive conversion and coordination. The "giant team" was criticized by many fans and the media at that time, and Manchester United's tactical framework could not be completed on all fronts, and Mourinho had to make further adjustments to the personnel, vigorously promoting Herrera and others who were relatively inclined to flexibility, which to a certain extent improved the team's integrity and small-scale coordination ability.
As mentioned earlier, in addition to the 4231 and 433 formations, Mourinho has also tried a variety of formations such as 4141, 352, 451, 3421, 442 on various fronts, the core purpose of which is to make up for the weaknesses that the team has previously exposed in some key games, on the one hand, to help Pogba create a more comfortable tactical environment and fully play his characteristics at both ends of the attack and defense.
According to this trend, pogba's integration with Manchester United will take a long process, but the final result should be quite good. However, after entering the 17th and 18th seasons, Pogba missed some games due to injury problems, and after returning from injury, he repeatedly appeared in the game, resulting in eating red cards and not being able to participate in the Manchester City derby, which was highly valued by the team. In this context, the military has always been strictly governed
Mourinho gradually became dissatisfied with Pogba's various behaviors, and although Pogba returned with many good performances, Mourinho seemed to have made up his mind to re-establish the offensive core.
In the winter window of the season, United brought in Chilean star Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal for a transfer fee of 34 million euros. At that time, Sanchez was at the peak of his career, and he could perform at Arsenal in every season, which was a well-deserved thigh for the team's attack. The introduction of Alexis Sanchez proves Mourinho's determination to further strengthen the team's attack on the left and opens the chapter of Pogba's further transformation at Manchester United.
Although Sanchez's journey at Manchester United ended in a complete failure, it was clear from the situation that Mourinho gave enough trust to the Chilean striker who had been in the Premier League for many years and had a brilliant data. In this context, Pogba, who also needs a lot of ball possession, must make some concessions, the most distinctive feature is to give up a large number of ball possession, and more use of one-foot ball to coordinate the offensive organization of the midfield. At the same time, in the no-ball state is not the so-called core way of playing, that is, sticking to the spot and waiting for the ball, but should actively play the running advantage interspersed with various positions in the midfield, creating more forward passing space for other players.
Judging from the tactical landscape of world football, Mourinho's requirements for Pogba are not excessive. After all, in the context of Sanchez as the core of the attack, there is no way for a team to coexist with two players who need a lot of ball possession (this situation can be referred to after joining Barca. But for Pogba, whether in the youth team period or later in the Juventus period, the team's tactics are more inclined to their own tactical characteristics, rather than requiring themselves to take the initiative to make large-scale adjustments. Against this backdrop, when the pressure suddenly came, the French star seemed a little overwhelmed, which led to a series of conflicts with Mourinho.
Specifically, when Alexis Sanchez took over most of United's ball attack, Pogba was forced to adjust his tactical thinking and take more one-foot shots to avoid too many invalid dribblings. At the same time, Pogba is no longer given the same core position as before, he has been given more responsibility for running without the ball in the team's attack, and Mourinho hopes to pull more space for the tactical system with Sanchez as the core through this tactical fine-tuning. Overall, however, Pogba was unable to adapt to the new tactical system, with the French star more comfortable with taking the ball in the attack and running a little lazily without the ball.
As Mourinho's tactical system became more and more difficult, Pogba's not-so-diligent attitude towards playing became less and less, and later even became a "passive slacker" in the mouths of many fans - losing the ball, passing blindly, losing the ball without grabbing...
【The arrival of the so-caller, the new era of Pogba?】 】
From being heavily relied upon at the time to the final breakup between master and apprentice, the deterioration of Mourinho's relationship with Pogba was somewhat unexpected. On 17 December 2018, after the team's away defeat to Liverpool, Mourinho was quietly dismissed, and Manchester United star Ole Gunnar Solskjaer soon took over the coaching whip and became the new manager of Manchester United.
In any case, although Mourinho's adjustment to Pogba ended in failure, it paved the way for latecomers. For Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, United were in a precarious situation, and as always, there was no shortage of elite players in the squad, but successive managers have always had difficulty pinching these players together. After coming to the team, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer did not have time to make a drastic overhaul of Mourinho's legacy of tactical style, and his tactical adjustments could only start with certain specific players.
Pogba undoubtedly became the focus of the Solskjaer era.
During the Mourinho era, in order to give Sanchez the core position, Pogba's time to hold the ball when he had the ball was weakened, and gave him a lot of no-ball running work. It turned out that whether it was due to personal technical characteristics or attitude problems, Pogba was never able to integrate into Mourinho's tactical system, which evolved into a fierce locker room conflict over time, which eventually led directly to the decline in the team's performance and Mourinho's dismissal.
Pogba's passing in the threatening area is imaginative
Pogba's long pass assisted Lukaku
When Solskjaer arrived at the team, he still valued Pogba's talent in the attacking process, and also absorbed some of the problems that existed during Mourinho's time, focusing on reducing the Burden of the French midfielder's no-ball running and avoiding his extensive involvement in the team's defense. In this context, although Pogba requires deep placement in the defensive state, there is not much demand for pressing and interception, and only needs to cooperate with other players in the midfield to form a defensive interception line. On the offensive end, Pogba has a lot of time to hold the ball and the way to launch the attack is becoming more and more diverse, whether it is a large number of balls forward or from the back to take a concise long pass is allowed.
From the actual situation, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's "critical adjustment" has achieved relatively good results. Since the new coach took office, Pogba has shown a relatively good competitive state in this system, and Manchester United has won 8 consecutive wins with the enthusiasm of the new coach after taking office, and Pogba's role in this cannot be ignored.
On 29 January 2020, United's midfield once again ushered in the key puzzle of renewal – the team introduced the B fee from Portuguese sport in the Portuguese Super League for a transfer fee of up to 63 million euros. Although both Pogba and Pogba are offensive midfielders with full offensive attributes, from the technical characteristics, although B Fei scored goals during the game, he did not like to hold the ball for a long time, but was more adept at a small range of one-foot shots and even forward insertion after running without the ball. Therefore, the arrival of B Fee did not affect Pogba's position in the Manchester United squad, but formed an effective complement, Pogba further determined his position as the core organization of the midfield in the 4231 system, and the more advanced position of B Fee is flexible and superb shooter, and is gradually developed by solso coach into a shadow striker who scores like a goal.
In the 2019-2020 season, B Fee made 22 appearances for Manchester United in all competitions, scoring 12 goals and 8 assists. Under the glossy data, there is actually a kind of crisis hidden - by the end of the season, the teams gradually understood the tactical play of Manchester United, with Pogba as the ball transfer point, and the idea that B Fee was responsible for the front insertion to complete the fatal blow became the object of repeated study by the major teams in the Premier League. At the same time, around the midfield configuration of Manchester United, Nemanja Matic is good at defending high balls but has a slow turning speed, and B Fei's ability to score goals is outstanding but his ability to hold the ball is relatively weak.
In this context, in response to the problem of B Fee's weak ability to take the ball and the low success rate of forward passes, the major teams often allocate sufficient personnel to limit the Portuguese midfielder's play in the front. In this way, B Fee's weakness is further exposed, and Pogba, who is supporting behind him, will have to bear more pressure. However, the French midfielder did not show his due performance in the face of huge offensive and defensive pressure, and his lazy attitude to the game, repeated conceding goals and the general defensive awareness caused the Manchester United midfielder to gradually lose control, and it was difficult to respond effectively at the first time in the face of the opponent's counterattack.
【Abandoned son of the Ronnick era】
Last season's Manchester United had regrets in all competitions, but there were also results. In the league, the team, despite stumbling, still scored 74 points in 38 games and finished second in the league; in Europe, although Manchester United failed to qualify from the Champions League group stage, they defeated Real Sociedad, AC Milan, Granada, Roma in the subsequent Europa League knockout rounds, and met La Liga side Villarreal in the final. Despite the regrettable defeat in the end, the results of the league and the Europa League "Double Asia" still made a good start for Manchester United in the new season.
In terms of record, it is difficult to recover, the team will naturally further increase investment in the new season, and the arrival of C Ronaldo and Sancho has greatly expanded the team's strength in the frontcourt. But at the same time, the expansion of the forward line is bound to further affect Manchester United's original tactical system, and the coexistence of B Fee, Pogba, Sancho and others has become the number one problem testing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Against this backdrop, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer boldly adopted a 4-forward formation, and although it once exposed the loopholes in the midfield defense, there was still a lot of brilliance in the early part of the season overall. The dominance of the game is entirely in the hands of Portuguese B Fee, and both the shooting choices in the attack and the way he connects with Cristiano Ronaldo are a major feature of United's attack at the beginning of the season. However, this tactical thinking will inevitably lead to a sharp decline in the tactical status of players such as Pogba and Sancho, coupled with Pogba's contribution to the lack of ball, and gradually become the fringe of the team over time.
At a time when Pogba's status in the Manchester United team declined, an unexpected injury during the national team training camp cast a shadow of the Unknown on his Red Devils career. During the injury, Pogba went to Dubai with a rehabilitation coach for recovery training with the consent of Manchester United, which affected the dissatisfaction of Manchester United manager Ronnick. Despite having only been in office for just a week, the German boss has criticized Pogba out of his words, publicly saying that United players should work to change the way they are used to playing and stressing that future injuries should not be rehabilitated abroad or elsewhere.
It is clear that this series of indications is directed at Pogba's behavior. But from another point of view, as a manager known for his strict management of the army, in the face of manchester United, which has always had endless problems in the dressing room, it is reasonable for Lonnick to give some "thorns" at the beginning of his tenure. But for Pogba, the harsh criticism he has received before he has been in contact with the coach has cast a shadow over his position in the Lonnick era, and may also inspire his determination to leave the team after the season.
So, combined with the tactical style of play that Lonnick advocates at the moment, does Pogba have a chance to occupy a place?
Manchester United 0-1 Wolves starting line-up
Since joining the team, after a short run-in, Lonnick has continued to integrate the 4222 formation that he is relatively familiar with in his coaching career, and gradually becomes the first choice for Manchester United. Up to now, Manchester United have used the 4222 formation as the starting line-up in many recent games, and according to Pogba's technical characteristics, he should have a place in this formation - whether it is the one who is biased towards organizational scheduling in the double back, or the side midfield position, its offensive and defensive advantages and comprehensive technical characteristics can be further played.
But from the current situation, even if Pogba returns from injury, in the context of his uncertain future, Longnick is unlikely to give him more opportunities to play, so as not to affect the team's main system after Pogba leaves. In other words, Pogba is now in a very awkward position - his personal desire to leave the team seems to be well known, and various scandals have made the manager afraid to use the French midfielder; but from another point of view, if Pogba intends to give more to the team, his attitude is far from enough now.
【Conclusion】
Both Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ronnick have done quite good research in their respective tactical areas. They are all aware of Pogba's talent on the offensive end and each hopes to give the French star more tactical freedom through different tactical adjustments. However, there are slight differences between the various managers, Mourinho emphasizes the integrity and discipline of the team, and the relatively lazy Pogba will naturally derive a series of off-field contradictions with it. Solskjaer intended to give Pogba more freedom, but he did not seize the opportunity, and the ups and downs and the failure of the transformation allowed him to welcome Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's dismissal in a long-term injury.
Today, Lonnick is a typical "German coach" who has been rigorous throughout his coaching career. Pogba, who was lazy and detrimental to the unity of the dressing room, was criticized first, and although talks with the manager confirmed the effectiveness until the end of the season, it is still unknown whether it will be reused under Ronnick. Pogba's ties to a number of giants seem to be becoming more and more obvious, and whether to go far away or continue to stick to the Red Devils remains to be tested by time.