Manchester United’s 3-1 victory over Arsenal last weekend showcased precisely what makes Paul Pogba the most enigmatic footballer in the Premier League. The Frenchman powered his team forward on the counter-attack time and again, using his incredible strength and technical ability to calve the Gunners’ defence open, and yet Pogba’s performance was the biggest contributing factor for the hosts amassing 33 shots on David de Gea’s goal.
Pogba’s creativity is undoubted; his ability to connect defence with attack a rare talent in the Premier League. But the side effect of his swaggering machismo, so helpful in picking out wonderful passes under pressure, is defensive indiscipline – namely in holding his base position from central midfield. As a number ten this issue is less important, but if Jose Mourinho is to continue with a 3-4-1-2 formation for the foreseeable future then Pogba might just leave his team-mates in the lurch.
Arsenal attacked superbly last Saturday as Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez tore through the middle throughout the 90, and it wasn’t difficult to see why. As half of a two-man central midfield in Mourinho’s new system, poor Nemanja Matic was often left to mark these two players all alone as Pogba floated higher up the pitch, caught ball-watching or lunging into challenges to expose huge open spaces of grass. It was one such challenge that saw him sent off, making the Frenchman unavailable for the visit of Manchester City this Sunday.
It is a blessing in disguise. City’s central attacking midfielders are even more dangerous than Arsenal’s, and so had Pogba been available Matic would be overrun by David Silva and Kevin de Bruyne. Mourinho may have sought to address this problem by moving Pogba into a more advanced position, but that would mean sacrificing Jesse Lingard, whose form has been exceptional of late and as a local will be fired up for the derby.
What’s more, Pogba tends to go missing in big matches when space is limited and the stakes are high. The 24-year-old’s casual demeanour prevents him from dominating on compressed pitches, and consequently United fans should be pleased he isn’t available. Regardless of Pogba’s efficacy in games such as these, he is a leading member of Mourinho’s clique and would certainly have started if available.
For now, United’s central midfield should be fairly resolute. Ander Herrera will likely be tasked with man-marking David Silva, meaning Matic can focus on De Bruyne as the hosts sit deep, absorb pressure, and look to expose City’s high line with long balls to the front three. As for the future, Mourinho needs to work out how to get Pogba and Matic to work in tandem without the Serbian being overstretched. Pogba remains a serious riddle for the club. Counterintuitively, fans should be relieved they don’t have to wrestle with the conundrum when the league leaders arrive at Old Trafford.