Manchester United 0-0 Valencia: 5 important conclusions from the game

#1 Pogba continues to be underutilized

Manchester United v Valencia - UEFA Champions League Group H

There are no doubts that the Frenchman is immensely talented. There are tricks and skills in his arsenal that can unlock even the meanest of defences. However, for those to be brought out of the bag, Pogba has to be in an area where he can have a positive impact on the game. Unfortunately, it has not happened consistently under Mourinho at United.

The biggest problem that the Frenchman has is that Mourinho expects him to share the burdens of defending, while also joining the attack. Unfortunately, Pogba is too busy defending to have a continuous impact in the final third, because he is too deep for much of the game. Against Valencia, whenever he received the ball near the box, he unfolded a magic touch and released players. He combined well with Rashford and released Lukaku with a gorgeous lob, only for the Belgian to venture offside. He then released Rashford with another gorgeous through ball, only for Piccini to interfere. It was clear throughout the game that the Frenchman is United’s main creative outlet and as such, using him deeper down is a waste of his talents.

Early in the second half, Pogba’s shot on goal was deflected by Garay. He then hit a decent free kick, which was saved by the keeper. All through the game, the Frenchman picked up players and tried to make things happen, but Mourinho needs to understand that Pogba works best near the penalty area and the Portuguese is just misusing the talent at his disposal.