POGBA FINALLY HAS SOMETHING TO SHOUT ABOUT
...and he insists ‘there is no problem with Mourinho’
Paul Pogba was back in Jose Mourinho’s starting lineup and maintained he has respect for the Manchester united manager after their feuding.
It is a story that has unquestionably harmed united’s season, with Mourinho harbouring concerns about an out-of-sorts Pogba and, more specifically, his vociferous agent Mino Raiola. There was definite ignominy in sitting on the bench against Sevilla and brighton last month, although Pogba insisted otherwise.
‘ It’s true ( being benched) has never happened to me, ,b but it can strengthen me,’ Pogba ogba told French TV show Telefoot oot in an interview conducted d before his return and released d yesterday.
‘You have to go through h these periods to make you stronger. There is no problem with Mourinho. It’s not me who picks the team. am. ask the coach if you want ant to know why I play less. s. I respect his choices.
‘It’s too early to talk k about a departure from m united, the situation n can change.’
That Pogba addressed potentially leaving old Trafford at all seemed surprising if there is absolutely no issue with Mourinho, as he stressed.
Even so, it feels inconceivable that the 25-yearold will not be at united next season and against Swansea he showed he is capable of discipline in a midfield two next to Nemanja Matic.
any praise is laced with mitigation, of course, given the opposition and that Swansea did not offer any sort of attacking threat before halftime. Pogba had all the time he wanted to take balls off his central defenders and get united moving and this was occasionally a stroll. He won’t always be afforded that luxury, and there were some stray passes, but you can only play what’s in front of you and so this was encouraging.
The simple stuff was executed well. Everything was completed with a little more purpose. That was definitely the case after five minutes, when Pogba screened the midfield to intercept a Swansea clearance. Romelu lukaku was celebrating his 100th Premier league goal 14 seconds later, thanks to Pogba doing the donkey work.
There were other examples, too, particularly hunting down Sam Clucas to turn Swansea over as the visitors threatened to break. Pogba showed good defensive work at corners and a willingness to break into the box from deep.
He actually looked like one of those dynamic midfielders who can do a bit of everything and are invaluable in this division. The problem is that united expect more from someone who cost £89million, but mastering the basics is a good start for now.
‘ I think he played like the team,’ Mourinho said.
‘The team played very well in the first half, he played very well in the first half.
‘The team in the second half went a little bit down and Paul also went a little bit down, but he played 90 minutes in Russia and it’s normal to go a little bit down with the rest of the players.’
They can’t play like this against Manchester City if Mourinho is to stop Pep guardiola wrapping up the title on Saturday. City will see some of the spaces out wide and believe they can overload united.
Mourinho, whose son Jose Jnr was on the bench with the coaching staff on Saturday, claimed he is not even thinking about that game. ‘I think we have 10 more points than last season, something like that,’ he added. ‘We have more goals scored, we have conceded fewer, we finished sixth, we’re going to try to finish second, so the season is not as bad as you try to make it.
‘ Manchester City is not important for me. Important is that since we left first position and went to second, we stayed there for the whole season.
‘We deserved to feel second in spite of what you can say. You all say the third, fourth, fifth, sixth teams are better than us but they are not better than us because we have more points than them.’
That was delivered with Carlos Carvalhal, Mourinho’s great mate, sitting alongside him. Swansea were far better after a double substitution at half-time — ‘Not many coaches do that,’ said Mourinho — and look likely to survive. ‘This guy is going to keep Swansea up,’ Mourinho added. ‘He is the manager of the season because they were dead and he is going to save them.’
That felt an apt description given that one of the colourful Carvalhal’s metaphors centred on hospitals and intensive care. Swansea have been discharged and are in the sea now, apparently.
‘We are swimming,’ Carvalhal said. ‘We still need to swim faster. The sharks can push you down.’ For Pogba and united, the City sharks are circling. MANCHESTER UNITED (4-2-3-1): De Gea 7; Valencia 6, Smalling 7, Lindelof 6.5, Young 6; Matic 7, Pogba 7.5; Mata 6 (McTominay 90min), LINGARD 8 (Herrera 75, 6), Sanchez 7 (Rashford 75, 6); Lukaku 7.5.
Subs not used: Pereira, Bailly, Shaw, Martial. Scorers: Lukaku 5, Sanchez 20. Manager: Jose Mourinho 7. SWANSEA (5-4-1): Fabianski 6.5; Naughton 5.5, Van der Hoorn 5.5, Fernandez 6.5, Mawson 6, Olsson 6; Dyer 5 (Abraham 46, 7), Ki 5 (Carroll 46, 6.5), King 6, Clucas 5.5 (Routledge 55, 6); A Ayew 6. Subs not used: Narsingh, Nordfeldt, Bartley, Roberts. Manager: Carlos Carvalhal 6.5. Referee: Robert Madley 7. Attendance: 75,038.