Paul Pogba was terrible against Chelsea on Monday night in the FA Cup quarter-final.
Yes, Manchester United were reduced to 10 players, and it’s perhaps a little unfair to single out one player. Ander Herrera’s first-half dismissal made the job of every United player more difficult, and especially so his midfield partner Pogba.
However, there’s no escaping how poor the French midfielder was.
Pogba made just two tackles in the entire game and lost possession a staggering 21 times, more than any other player on the pitch.
But one moment sums up just how awful he was, and it was Kante’s decisive goal.
This might seem obvious but Pogba’s part in Kante’s goal was strangely overlooked by the pundits on BBC’s coverage – Alan Shearer, Frank Lampard and Phil Neville.
The trio were right to praise Kante, but Pogba was awful.
The 23-year-old made a lame attempt to close Kante down, allowing the Chelsea midfielder to hit a strike past David de Gea.
For a player who is meant to be a brilliant athlete, Pogba’s attempt to close down his opponent resembled something from a five-a-side game between a group of mates.
His action before that was just as dumbfounding.
Willian had the ball on the edge of United’s penalty area. Marouane Fellaini was in front of him, with Antonio Valencia behind, forcing the Chelsea forward to pass the ball back inside.
Gary Cahill pointed towards Kante, who has a lot of space in front of him. Pogba also saw him and pointed. But it’s not clear who the hell who he wanted to close down Kante.
You’re the closest United player to him, Paul!
Pogba was either too lazy to close Kante down himself, or was completely unaware of his surroundings. Either way, it’s damning on the world’s most expensive midfielder.
Kante’s performance further highlighted Pogba’s deficiencies. The Chelsea midfielder was once, again, brilliant.
Last summer, United could have bought Kante, Luka Modric and/or Tony Kroos for the money they spent on Pogba, and had some cash leftover.
They wouldn’t dance in videos with Stormzy, or have their own emoji, but they are more effective midfielders.
However, United, and the club’s executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward, actively sought to make a splash in the transfer market.
There’s an argument to be made that, if Pogba had been available at a cheaper price, United would still have wanted to break the world transfer record to sign him.
It was a statement of intent and a marketing exercise as much as signing a very promising midfielder.
The other players who would have commanded a world record transfer fee – Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Neymar, Gareth Bale, Antoine Griezmann, Luis Suarez – were unattainable last summer.
Pogba was available for the right price, too expensive for rival clubs such as Real Madrid and very marketable.
This isn’t writing Pogba off as a failure, because he is very talented and, until recently, had been playing well for United. He could easily end up being an excellent player.
However, there are serious questions surrounding him.
He’s good at most things required of a footballer, but great at no one thing. He seems incapable of harnessing his talent into being a dominant player.
It begs the question, ‘what is Pogba actually good at?’
He’s not a prolific scorer from midfield, like Steven Gerrard or Frank Lampard were. He can’t pass or read the game like Michael Carrick. He’s not a strong tackler and he’s defensively suspect.
The former Juventus midfielder often slows the game down, doesn’t get the ball out of his feet quickly enough and, when things aren’t going his way, he lacks the discipline to stick to his job and starts trying to force things.
Pogba excelled at Juventus when in midfield with Andrea Pirlo and Arturo Vidal.
Yet, these are two world class players, and as such it could be argued it would be difficult to play poorly alongside them.
The French midfielder has played better for United when Michael Carrick is present. He needs to be freed from responsibility to flourish, and isn’t a natural fit for any role on the pitch which is an awkward scenario when he’s the world’s most expensive player and therefore has to play.
It could be argued that Jose Mourinho’s use of him also hasn’t helped. Pogba has only been substituted once this season, and remained on the pitch despite playing so poorly against Chelsea. He could probably do with some time out of the team.
You might ask who would United replace him with, as he’s better than the players on the bench.
Well, anyone who would be willing to close down their opponent outside the penalty area would have been an improvement on Pogba in the Chelsea defeat.
Mourinho also offered a laughable defence of the player following the game.
“We have to be positive, the players were phenomenal but Pogba was by far the best player on the pitch,” the United manager told reporters.
“He was a giant on the pitch. After him, all my other boys were fantastic.
“The specialists will say a lot about him and it comes from envy. They will never ever earn 10 per cent of what he does.”
That last line, about Pogba’s earnings compared to his critics, was classless from Mourinho, and completely beside the point.
It sums up a lot about the Pogba situation. Mourinho is focusing on something that’s immaterial, as United largely did when they signed him last summer.
So what if he earns a hell of a lot more than the people criticising him? So what if he has an emoji? So what if he has more haircuts than goals or assists this season? So what if he’s marketable?
All that matters is what he does on the pitch, and right now he’s playing poorly.
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