The Mourinho-Pogba Dynamic Is Not Working And The Solution Is Needed

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Every time Manchester United do not win, there is a lot of talk about them. Their poor form, their bad results, underperformance etc. And it always feels like everyone is lambasting Man United every other week. Well, that might be because of the frequency of matches they do not win. The last time the Devils had a streak of wins longer than three was right at the start of 2018. And we will have to wait for another for at least four more games.

After the 1-1 draw against Wolves on Saturday, both Jose Mourinho and Paul Pogba made comments we could analyse as sending the message to the other person. The manager pointed out that Wolves had the mentality like they were playing in a World Cup final, which is a nod to the only Man United player to have actually played in a World Cup final. It is, after all, Jose Mourinho we are talking about.

Pogba, on the other hand, said Manchester United at home should only “attack, attack, attack” and that he does not know why they do not do more of that as he is, as he pointed out, “a player”. Whatever the case might be there, it is obvious that the two are not in best relations, even though Mourinho recently talked with warmth about the Frenchman. Simply, this feels a bit toxic now, after all the antics.

For Jose Mourinho, we could say plenty of things. He has been at the club for two full seasons and he had had five transfer windows so far to make this team to his liking. Yes, he was not fully backed this summer, but he did sign the two centre-backs that now feel like not good enough. After all, Man United are a side of one of the best goalkeepers in the world right now, a World Cup winning midfielder (and not the one that was sitting on the bench, but a really important one), a winger that won it all with Barcelona and a striker that is Belgium’s best ever striker at the age of 25.

This team should be playing better. It is not perfect, it has its issues, but should definitely do better than this.

If we talk about Pogba, than he should be better too. Barney Ronay makes this great point in his piece for The Guardian:

“As early as October 2016 he [Mourinho] was appearing on TV like an angry dad at parents’ evening haranguing the “Einsteins” of punditry for questioning Pogba’s performances, calling for time to adapt from the rhythms of Serie A. Pogba has adapted. He has had some excellent games – just not enough of them and not enough in the José way.”

Which is a good point. It has been two years now. Pogba is not close to other central midfielders, neither in this league, nor in some of the best teams from other leagues. Just compare his performances – there have been some really good ones, and some good ones this season, just not enough when you take previous 26 months into consideration – with those of Kevin De Bruyne, for example.

So, how United clean this mess that resurfaces every now and then? It is a tough question and its solution will have to involve more than two sides.

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