da realsbet： Criticism has been a common theme of Paul Pogba’s second stint at Old Trafford, an inevitable consequence of being – momentarily – the most expensive player in the history of the sport. While some of the accusations during his first season were largely justified though, there has been a tendency to point the finger too quickly and place the France international at the heart of every shortcoming Manchester United have suffered under Jose Mourinho.
da wazamba： Paul Scholes provided a case in point last week, when he singled out the powerful midfielder after the Red Devils’ scoreless draw with Southampton. The price-tag was mentioned once again, yet there was a bemusing logic in criticising United’s second-deepest lying midfielder after a game in which they failed to find the net. Sure, Pogba is meant to be a match-winning factor for United – but can he really be expected to prove the difference in every single game, in the way Scholes’ latest critique alluded to?
“He doesn’t look like a player who will win you games – that’s what you pay £90m for.”
In any case, those criticisms have already proved short-lived after Pogba responded in convincing fashion against Everton. In a gritty New Year’s Day clash between two managers famed for their pragmatic approach, it was the former Juventus star’s marauding presence in midfield that had the biggest impact.
Indeed, Pogba set up both of his side’s goals with incisive passes to the edge of the box, supplying first Anthony Martial and then Jesse Lingard for similar finishes that curled around Ashley Williams and into the top corner. But they were just two of seven chances Pogba created throughout the ninety minutes, while only the aforementioned Lingard produced more efforts at goal than the Frenchman – who also completed two dribbles and 84% of his passes.
“I think the only thing Paul Scholes does is to criticise. I don’t think he comments, I think he criticises, which is a different thing, but not every one of us has to be phenomenal, like he was as a player.It is not Paul’s fault that he made much more money than Paul Scholes. It is not Paul Pogba’s fault, it’s just the way football is.”
In turn, that gave Jose Mourinho ammunition to do what he does best these days – moan about something. In a subliminal endorsement of Pogba’s influence in the 2-0 win at Goodison Park, much of Mourinho’s post-match discussion centred around Scholes’ comments and his quality as a pundit. While many will put that down to simply Mourinho being Mourinho, Pogba’s performance versus the Toffees highlighted the element of genuine truth behind it – while Scholes may be a United legend, there’s a superficial simplicity to his punditry.