Does Bruno Fernandes accidentally harm Paul Pogba?

Paul Pogba’s future at Manchester United is a big question mark; and Bruno Fernandes is currently the “main character” of the Old Trafford team.

It was in a Manchester derby that Paul Pogba produced the most memorable performance of his career for the Reds, scoring a double to inspire a comeback 3-2 victory in November. In 4 years 2018, Manchester City’s goal of winning the Premier League title in that round failed.

But in the two teams’ rematch at Old Trafford tonight, two and a half years after that spectacular feat at Etihad Stadium, Pogba isn’t even guaranteed a starting spot. “He needs to change teams,” Mino Raiola, his agent, announced Monday. The waves that statement created are something anyone can feel.

Paul Pogba’s reunion with Manchester United from Juventus in 2016 was once a huge success story, constantly reported by all the media and generated frenzied excitement. An old man rewrote his story on the team that coached me after asserting his skill elsewhere.

And the fee spent for this meeting is also a world record number, £ 89 million.

The hope, the expectation that Pogba will help restore the club to its former glory, is of course extremely, immense. But it is clear that the story of this meeting did not unfold that way.

In the last four seasons, Manchester United have finished the campaign with an average difference of 27 points with the leading team of the Premier League. In his second relationship with the Old Trafford team, Pogba is not short of spectacular moments – indeed, his performance at Man United is much better than you think – but high expectations. Originally deposited on him it did not come true.

At a time when Manchester United was led by José Mourinho, the breakdown of his relationship with the Portuguese captain became a great story, and the French star did not. also a popular name under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

There were hopes that Manchester United’s signing of Bruno Fernandes in January was also a move to benefit Pogba. In a conversation with Sky Sports in July, his best friend and former teammate Patrick Evra confirmed that Pogba himself was delighted with the arrival of a ‘great player’. “Another, a star will help share the creative load with him at Man United.

But instead of providing support, helping Pogba reduce the pressure, Fernandes has completely “stolen” the French player’s place on the team. The 26-year-old star shined brightly, contributing his shoe print to 37 goals (direct goals + assists) in 39 games since his debut in February.

The Portuguese player’s immense influence in helping United “prosper” in the second half against West Ham last Saturday has once again underlined the dependence on the brother team.

Of course, Pogba also played a key role in that victory, with his superb shot, from a pass from Fernandes, paving the way for the result to follow. But as Jamie Carragher insisted on Monday Night Football, he was only included in the starting lineup because everyone else needed a break. The positive impact he had against RB Leipzig three days later came after he entered from the bank.

Perhaps the performance in Germany will help the French star to give an important kick in the confrontation with Manchester City. But even if that happens, the certainty that Fernandes will be in the 10th role means that the remaining vacancies in midfield will be deeper, in areas where Pogba is less relaxed and his influence on the game is less.

Pogba has been forced to play lower since Bruno Fernandes joined Manchester United and has almost always been at No. 10.

Since Fernandes arrived at Old Trafford at the end of the January transfer window, statistics show that Pogba has created fewer opportunities, shot fewer and had fewer touches inside the area. Significantly compared to before, instead, he had to play very low and “cover” for his new teammate, as well as Manchester United’s trio of strikers.

Pogba’s influence on Manchester United’s attack has dramatically diminished since the arrival of Fernandes

He has never been Pogba’s forte, position discipline has never been a strong point for the French star, and this is exactly what Raiola alluded to earlier this week when he claimed. that his client is unable to “express himself as he wants, as people expect of him” under Solskjaer.

Of course, Pogba and Fernandes have coordinated effectively in the last 2 games. But both performances came under desperate circumstances, when United were forced to actively attack, trying to find a way to score at all costs.

They have also helped Manchester United win 6 by being on the field at the end of last season. But the most interesting thing is that 3 of the last 4 Premier League games in which the duo were in the starting lineup – against Arsenal, Tottenham and Crystal Palace – all ended in defeat to Man United. with 10 goals and only 2 goals scored.

Manchester United’s midfielder has been completely overwhelmed in all three games, and while many people are eager to see Pogba and Fernandes work side by side with the support of a midfielder standing behind them, similar to the kind of display with which Manchester City were so successful with the trio Kevin de Bruyne, David Silva and Fernandinho in the 2017/2018 season, making a huge contribution to their Premier League title that season. – so there is also a reason why this is not happening.

“In a long season, there may be games where both of you are on the court at the same time,” Solskjaer told Sky Sports last week.

“But besides that, in your squad is Nemanja [Matic], Scott [McTominay] and Fred, and the balance they can give you… ”Pogba can do a lot for a team. But defensive balance is not one of them.

Since Fernandes appeared, Pogba has always had to play low, appearing very few times in the opponent’s penalty area.

Solskjaer was trying to find a solution to his midfield puzzle. He experimented with a diamond-shaped midfield and achieved a successful result that far exceeded expectations against RB Leipzig at Old Trafford in October, with Pogba working on the left flank, and Matic and Fred’s presence on the court allowed him to continue. moving up and contributing greatly to the Reds’ 5-0 victory.

But the Manchester United manager stopped using the system because he proved completely harmless against Arsenal a few days later.

Pogba performed poorly in that game, leaving United subject to a game-decisive penalty situation when he fouled Hector Bellerin in the second half, a ball that further emphasized his lack of focus on defense, a problem that it became increasingly apparent during his low game.

“You need to have discipline in those roles,” Carragher emphasized when discussing the issue on Monday Night Football at the start of the 2020/2021 season, implying that Pogba doesn’t have that.

The Frenchman will enter the Manchester derby tonight after making a positive impact in consecutive games for the first time in a long time. Another great performance, similar to the one he showed during the April 2018 meeting, is likely to change the situation once again. But the harsh reality is that as long as Fernandes is present on the Manchester United team, Pogba is likely to continue to be an outlaw on this team.

The breakup seems to be an unavoidable prospect today.

Source: Summary of Analysis Translation “Has Bruno Fernandes Made Paul Pogba Out of Fit?” by Nick Wright, posted on Sky Sports.