POGBA SHOULD NOT HAVE SEEN RED
SO where exactly was he meant to put his foot?
We all know where he did put it. We all know how it looked. Not good. And like all incidents of this kind, the slower the replay, the worse it appeared.
By the time Paul Pogba’s tackle on Hector Bellerin had received five or six reruns, it seemed as if he had all the time in the world to plan and execute a stamp on the Arsenal man.
Yet it wasn’t like that. In real time, Pogba is stretching to get a touch on a loose ball and Bellerin is — well, who knows what Bellerin is doing? He’s on his knees, his trailing leg extends behind him, it is not so much a tackle as a contortion. He looks like he’s trying to build the base of a gymnastic pyramid.
And it can be argued that this is irrelevant. That Pogba’s tackle was reckless no matter how Bellerin was positioned. That if the full back had met him straight on, Pogba’s front foot would have gone over the top of the ball and perhaps caused worse damage. But we don’t know this.
Andre Marriner did not send him off for what could have happened; he went for what did happen. And what happened seemed as much a freak accident as an
attempt to hurt an opponent. It didn’t merit a straight red with the additional suspension that results. A yellow, yes. An orange, maybe, if such a thing existed. But a straight red? That seems harsh.
There is no chance of the call being rescinded because Marriner will be sure, experienced voices such as Graham Poll support him, too, and there is enough backing from the professional game. Alan Shearer, Rio Ferdinand, Frank Lampard, Trevor Francis, were all in favour — although David Platt argued against.
The greatest pity is the effect Pogba’s absence will have on Sunday’s Manchester derby. Marriner couldn’t take that into account but it diminishes Manchester United’s chances of taking the game to Manchester City as equals.
Pogba is increasingly essential to them now, and looks the mighty influence Jose Mourinho worked so hard to secure in his first transfer window. For a combative midfielder this was Pogba’s first red card since May 5, 2013. He’s not even a dirty player, either.