Paul Pogba has revealed the part of training that he dislikes the most, and unsurprisingly it’s when he doesn’t have the ball.
The Manchester United midfielder has showcased his considerable talent this season, and has become very influential for Jose Mourinho’s side. Pogba’s absence with injury for two months coincided with a tough spell for United in October, when they went from being level on points with Manchester City to eight points behind the Premier League leaders.
However, they have looked a more dangerous prospect with the French midfielder in the side, and it has been obvious in recent fixtures that the creative burden has fallen on Pogba.
Pogba is at his best with the ball at his feet, and unsurprisingly he doesn’t enjoy working on the more tactical side of the game when out of possession – which just happens to be his manager’s forte.
“My favourite part is the game at the end of the session,” he told Manchester Evening News.
“The worst is the same for everyone I think – the tactics. I always learned playing with my friends. When you come from where I come from it was like two-v-two, three-v-three. It was physical and technical so I always loved it. I always loved the beautiful tekkers, the nice skills.”
Mourinho is one of the best in the world at coaching a team when out of possession, so it’s not surprise that he places such an emphasis on this in training. His Inter Milan team famously found a way past Barcelona in the 2010 semi-final with around 20 percent possession at the Nou Camp. And his Chelsea team ruined Liverpool’s march to the title in 2014, when they beat them 2-0 at Anfield with less than 30 percent possession.
With United to play Arsenal away and City at home over the next few weeks, Pogba better get used to not being on the ball as much as he would like. However, it could be argued that some tactical training won’t do the French midfielder any harm, even if he prefers to focus on the prettier side of the game.
