Paul Pogba turned the game “Manchester United”, as they produced a stunning comeback to win 3-2 against Manchester city at the Etihad stadium to deny their great rivals the title. In the process Pogba can turn his old Trafford career around, too, writes Adam BATE.
The title of the celebration has already begun at the Etihad stadium. All that remains in the “Manchester city” to give organizations near which to remember his pain. They lose by five goals, or only four? As it turned out, the men Jose Mourinho won the game 3-2. The party exhausted, Paul Pogba, a player who dominated up to this Derby.
He’s not dominated in the first half and don’t need to be a social media obsessive to imagine the abuse aimed at the most expensive player of English football team. Contempt would be too good. Criticized for his money. Bullied for his blue hair. Anger and entertainment on offer PEP Guardiola that his agent tried to engineer a switch to the city.
At the moment, Pogba needs to be a footnote in history. A gifted man, but a man nonetheless, as the team of the city of talent have taken on the day and season. Instead, he became the author of the right kind of headlines. Two goals within 97 seconds to draw United level. Two goals within 97 seconds to turn it all around.
The great merit of Pogba for the character shown in such circumstances. “You’ll never see it,” Chris Smalling told Sky Sports afterwards. It was Smalling who is in-touch struck home the winner to complete the comeback, but it was Pogba who got the unpleasant of the match award after Gary Neville has expressed the views of many, saying that he could have no complaints if he was replaced at half-time.
Credit must also go to Mourinho for his handling of things with the situation at its most bleak. Given the controversy stirred up in preparation for this game and apparently strained relations with his midfield, he would have easily identified Pogba as a convenient scapegoat. Instead, it seems that he offered only encouragement.
“I told my players that they can’t improve much of what they did in the first half,” he told sky Sports. “I didn’t ask for the sex to improve, because I was already satisfied with what he did in the first half, but he scored two great goals, and I’m very happy for him. If it is true that his agent asked him now in some clubs the price has gone up.”
Jose Mourinho praised Pogba for his performance against Manchester city
It was a provocative line, delivered with a smile, but Mourinho want to see more of this from Pogba. Although much of the criticism could be on top, he went to this game on a series of 21 matches without a goal scored, the longest such run for the whole professional career for Pogba. It is obvious that he must deliver more.
“He needs to understand that it needs to be effective,” fellow Pogba the Frenchman Thierry Henry told Sky Sports. “Goals and assists. I just hope today he became the player of “Manchester United” and I hope he does it today because he had to do it. Because he was cornered. He can do that at 0-0 or when they win the game? I think he can.”
Put Henry in the sky sports touchscreen after the game, it was obvious that Pogba admitted “relief” was his main emotion when searching for the network and he was humble enough to admit that he understands the need for more. “This is a question that we ask ourselves”, he said. “If we did that all season, we’d be on top.”
He offers a caveat. Pogba spent most of the campaign alongside Nemanja MATIC in a two man midfield with four teammates in front of them. It’s not the system that is necessary to do the kind of works that were essential for him to score both goals. “It’s hard to make it start when you are two” – he explained.
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“I had to get another box, because we are three and I have MATIC behind. I saw the space and I just left.” He has received awards, and he celebrates with supporters of the organization after the final whistle. “To lose the city and let them win it [against us] in their own stadium? No, I can’t let that happen,” he added with a hint of Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
It doesn’t change the point of the title, but maybe Henry thinks it can change the direction in which the organization is Pogba’s career. The box office of the club name now has a box-office Club in his name. Maybe this will change the mood at old Trafford. Maybe it was the day when Paul Pogba turned it all around.
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