Will Pogba pay his dues?
IT IS still something of a surprise that a manager as disciplined as Jose Mourinho would authorise a world-record transfer fee on a free spirit like Paul Pogba.
Mourinho’s forte is simplifying the game, having square pegs in square holes. But Pogba is an all-rounder who is difficult to pin down. You couldn’t classify him as a holding midfield player like Claude Makelele or a creative No 10.
Yes, he’d have potential as a box-to-box midfielder, but his goal-scoring ratio – 15 goals a season – doesn’t make him a Frank Lampard, let alone warrant him being the most expensive player on the planet.
Finding a system in which Pogba justifies his £89 million (R1.74 billion) price tag plus £290 000-a-week wages will be the greatest challenge of Mourinho’s career. For at that price Pogba must play, even if the perfect formation for him means other big names such as Wayne Rooney or Zlatan Ibrahimovic are sacrificed.
Juventus have had similar issues with Pogba, and they were the dominant team in an inferior league compared with what United face this season.
Pogba played as a No 10 behind two strikers and a holding midfield player as Juve changed formations regularly last season, before finding out the 23-year-old worked best as a left-sided midfielder in a 4-3-3, licensed to power infield without being overburdened by defensive responsibilities.
If all this sounds negative, it’s not meant to be. Obviously, United will be stronger with one of the world’s best young players than without. And Mourinho is no fool – he won’t have signed Pogba without a definite plan. It’s just that the world is waiting to find out what it is.
Mourinho did try to sign Steven Gerrard, another player whose versatility was sometimes to his detriment, earlier in his career.
His running powerhouse at Chelsea was Michael Essien. But Essien cost £24 million, a big sum at the time, but not the kind of transfer fee that made him the centre of attention if he didn’t score.
Pogba is more of an attacking threat than Essien, but he will be under huge scrutiny. For his price tag, he will be expected to be a game-changer.
In pre-season, Mourinho has favoured 4-2-3-1, with two of Michael Carrick, Morgan Schneiderlin, Ander Herrera and Marouane Fellaini supporting the four attacking players ahead. In that system, Pogba would probably be one of the two “holders”, rather than a No 10 where United are already spoiled for choice.
There is a precedent across Manchester. At City, Yaya Toure was a spectacular success breaking forward from deep. He brushed past defenders with an ease that Pogba should be able to replicate.
“Very strong” was how Pep Guardiola described Pogba after coming up against him in last season’s Champions League for Bayern Munich. Yet Toure earns criticism when he doesn’t track back – a real concern against better opposition.
It’s why Thierry Henry, who also took Pogba’s journey from Juventus into the Premier League, thinks Pogba should be used further up the pitch than a 4-2-3-1.
“I would like to see him play in a more advanced role,” says Henry. “He played in a deeper role for France at the Euros. He could deal with the ball in front of him, but as soon as there was a ball played in behind, he’d tend to forget to defend.
“When he plays in a higher position, he can be more efficient. He has tons of skills, and he can score goals.”
In a 4-2-3-1, Mourinho would need an out-and-out holder next to Pogba as defensive insurance. Morgan Schneiderlin looks the best fit, but the Frenchman is still no Makelele in terms of world-class ability.
Another option would be for Mourinho to switch to a 4-3-3 to try harness Pogba’s attacking instincts without running the same risk he’d leave United light at the back. He’d get more freedom in a trio alongside Carrick, Herrera or Jesse Lingard.