When Paul Pogba was bought by Manchester United for almost £90 million, a record transfer
fee spent by an English club and still the second biggest fee involving an English club
ever, much was expected of him.
Returning to the club where he had made his senior debut, with a significant reputation
developed in Serie A while winning titles in four consecutive seasons for Juventus,
Pogba was expected to do more than just play football well.
United, it was suggested, was in need of a creative force to break the shackles of the
dull football of the post-Ferguson era.
Pogba, with his eye for a pass, his ability to grab a game and wrest it from the opposition
single-handedly, and his charismatic presence on and off the pitch, was symbolic of United’s
supposed new era.
To read or listen to comments and punditry on Pogba, though, one would be forgiven for
thinking the Frenchman has failed.
Has Jose Mourinho got the best from one of the world’s great midfielders?
Or has he let Pogba, and United, down with the way he has played him?
United have tended to use two formations this season, the 4-3-3 and the 4-2-3-1.
They have also dabbled with versions of the 3-4-3, either with one number 10 behind two
forwards , or two attacking midfielders dovetailing behind a striker.
Pogba has played three roles within these positions: as a left-sided central midfielder
in the 4-3-3, as a right-sided defensive midfielder in the 4-2-3-1, and as a right-sided central
midfielder in the 3-4-3.
Pogba has a different role in the two main positions, as a central midfielder or as a
deeper-lying, more defensive midfielder.
Playing deeper in the pivot with Nemanja Matic, Pogba has defensive responsibilities and is
expected to create from further back with long range passing into the wide spaces, or
directly and vertically to Romelu Lukaku.
Lukaku can then burst forwards onto the pass off the shoulder of the defender, or hold
the ball up and lay it off to an attacking midfielder pushing up from the hole or cutting
inside.
Matic is far from a pure anchoring player, and gets forwards as well, albeit with less
dynamism than Pogba.
He also has a good range of passing, and this can leave United with two deep playmakers,
both of whom are strong, but not pure, defensive midfielders.
If Pogba pushes up to join the attack from the 4-2-3-1, Matic can be left isolated, especially
as United’s full backs also push high, and without Eric Bailly in central defence, United
can struggle to cover all the space vacated by Pogba’s surges.
The role Pogba occupies in the 4-3-3 affords him greater licence to push forwards and join
the attack.
This is for two reasons: firstly, it still leaves a double pivot in midfield of Matic
and one other – this is especially solid if that other is Basque box-to-box player
Ander Herrera.
The second is that Pogba is pushing into space, rather than seeking to move into the area
already occupied by a number 10.
United’s 4-3-3 sees the wide men generally cutting inside, by they can do so without
congesting the space in front of the box, and that is where Pogba is able to burst forwards,
deliver a pass, or, as against Manchester City, provide a goal threat with his late
runs.
Intuitively, then, one would suppose that Pogba is best in this central, but more forward,
role, covered by two other midfielders and able to create and drive forwards.
Looking at Pogba’s metrics, it’s actually clear that he has had a productive season
for United, compared with previous seasons.
His league goals per 90 has been stable since his first full season at Juventus, but this
season has seen him register more league assists per 90 than any previous, and only last season,
also at United, did he manage more league key passes per 90.
Where it becomes more interesting is when one looks at how he has performed this season
in different roles.
Breaking these into the three groups for league performance, the left-central midfielder in
a 4-3-3, the right deeper midfielder in a 4-2-3-1, and the right-central midfielder
in a 3-4-3, we can see that Pogba actually scores as many goals per 90 playing deep as
he does further up.
However, he registers more shots and assists from an advanced position, and only slightly
fewer key passes.
Defensively, Pogba makes fewer tackles in the 4-3-3, which one would expect, but his
interceptions per 90 are not much different, suggesting that his defensive worth when pushing
up from the 4-3-3 is actually higher than is generally appreciated.
It’s also worth noting that, of the 22 league games Pogba has started, United’s record
is better with him in central midfield than in the deeper role.
This is not to say that Pogba is bad in the deeper role.
But, clearly, United derive more from him in a role where he has more licence to push
forwards, covered by others.
Given that the 4-3-3 is clearly an option, with Scott McTominay or Herrera working with
Matic and Pogba, Mourinho should be using it more often.
The question is less about where Pogba is best, and more about what Pogba can do that
others in the United squad cannot.
The 4-3-3 allows him to get forwards, create, shoot, and score, and provide a dynamism that
no one else in United’s squad can provide from midfield.
He is the sort of player that one can construct a team around, and Jose Mourinho should consider
this when working on his summer transfer list.
Pogba should be free to grab games and run them, and Mourinho needs to work out how best
to let him do this.
If he doesn’t, then Pogba’s talent is stifled and Mourinho is failing to get the
best from the best player in his squad.