When he first signed for Manchester United for a record £89 million, Paul Pogba was touted to take the English Premier League (EPL) by storm with his skills and trickery. However, nine matchweeks into the season, football fans all over the world are surprised to see how poorly the Frenchman has fared in most of the games he has played for Man United.
Used in the wrong role?
Many explanations have come out as to why Pogba is struggling to play the way he has been known to. Former Man United defender, Gary Neville, who is now a pundit for Sky Sports, believes that Pogba could be confused about his role in Jose Mourinho's side.
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Whether it is a failure from the manager's side to find the right role or from the player's side to adapt to the manager's system is something that has not been entirely clear yet. However, one thing that is evident is how Pogba has been below par in his first eight games for Man United as opposed to his first eight for Juventus last season.
Also read: EPL 2016-17: Why Paul Pogba deserves more time before being scrutinised
Statistics illustrate that Pogba has been far behind in many areas of his game for Man United when compared to how he was during the last term. The 23-year-old had a passing accuracy of 86.7% for Juventus in the first eight games of the Serie A last season. However, for Man United, the accuracy has dipped to 83.7%.
It is no unknown fact that the French midfielder loves taking long range shots. Pogba also has the ability to find himself in shooting positions, making late runs into the box. His shooting accuracy this season has dipped significantly to 22.7% while it was 30.4% last season for Juventus.
The number of dribbles completed and the number of shots on target taken by Pogba this season are also fewer than what he had during the 2015/16 season. Although Pogba has covered the most ground for any Man United midfielder this season with 6.84 miles per game, this is lower than nine other centre-midfielders in the EPL.
Few positives
There is, however, some positive from the numbers analysed. Pogba has had the same number of goals (1) for Man United that he did have for Juve in the first eight games. Another bright aspect is his chance creation has improved from last season. Pogba has created 12 chances for his teammates at Man United, while he had created only 7 for Juventus during the same duration.
In the last few games, Mourinho gave Pogba a free role, behind the striker. Although he did well in the Europa League game against Fenerbahce, scoring two goals, Pogba has failed to put in similar showings in the EPL.
Maybe, the intensity of the Premier League is something that the 23-year-old will take time to adapt to. Man United fans have begun showing their frustration at the poor performances by the Frenchman and this will only add pressure on the young shoulders of Pogba.
It remains to be seen if Mourinho will play the midfielder in the English Football League (EFL) Cup clash against Manchester City on Wednesday or if he will give Pogba some rest. Nevertheless, Pogba will need to step his game up if he is to prove that he is indeed entitled to the tag of the most expensive football transfer of all time.
