Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
FIRE AND ICE
POGBA: I’m the most criticised player on the planet.. but I just have fun.. that’s the only way to deal with it
PAUL POGBA claims he is now the most criticised player in the world.
Pogba inspired France to victory over Australia, although his winning strike was yesterday reclassified as an own goal.
The Manchester United midfielder also played a key pass in the move which led to Antoine Griezmann earning and scoring the opening goal from a disputed penalty.
But Pogba has endured a tough season at Old Trafford that has earned him an earful from boss Jose Mourinho and put his future at the club in the balance.
And in the pre-tournament friendly against Italy, he was jeered by the Parisian crowd.
But Pogba reckons he can handle the pressure because he got more stick when he was a youngster learning the game on the streets of Lagny-sur-marne.
He said: “I am less entitled to make mistakes than others.
“I went from the biggest transfer in the world to the most criticised player in the world. The critics are always here.
“When I was little, with my friends, we always used to take the p**s out of each other, saying, ‘You were good, you were bad.’
“It happens on every football pitch and I treat the criticism now like I did when I was playing on the block as a kid.
“I never listen to it. I’m out there having fun – and that’s the only answer I can give to all those people who criticise me or think I am this or that. It’s not a big deal.” Pogba’s pass to set Griezmann free to force the foul for France’s penalty opener was exquisite.
And although the move to score the winner – an exchange of passes with Kylian Mbappe and Olivier Giroud – was just as classy, his finish to beat Aussie keeper Mat Ryan needed a decisive touch off Aziz Behich.
Pogba smiled: “I will be honest – it was a goal for the French team.”
But he admitted fortune favoured the French and that Didier Deschamps’ young team will have to cope with tournament pressure much better if they are to win it.
Pogba said: “I didn’t expect such a difficult game – or to play against such a well-organised team, even though we had seen them on video and prepared well.
“It was difficult to find spaces between the lines and we did not have as many chances as we usually do. We know what to expect. We remain positive and will have a different attitude in our next game against Peru.
“We have talent and are very young. Some have played in a World Cup already, others not – and they must get in the bath quickly.
“The football here is fast and urgent. We have to be ready.
“We will expect a better collective performance in the next match.”
Skipper and keeper Hugo Lloris added: “The whole team has to do more and be better with the efforts we put in.
“Our intensity, our passing game and our energy on the pitch have to improve.
“We all have to find the right balance and do much better in how we control matches.”