HOW DO YOU SOLVE A PROBLEM LIKE PAUL POGBA?
£89M man’s derby display summed up his career... utterly abject in the first half, unplayable in the second - now Jose has to find a way to make him fire all the time
HOW do you solve a problem like Paul Pogba?
Jose Mourinho has wrestled with that issue this season, dropping Manchester United’s record £89million signing in a bid to get the best out of him.
Mourinho even publicly called out Pogba over his poor form and lack of focus, trying everything he could to get the midfielder to fulfil his potential.
And if ever a game summed up the headache Mourinho faces with Pogba, this was it. Abject in the first half, unplayable in the second, this was the France star at his frustrating, beguiling and enigmatic best.
Pogba had dominated the derby build-up when City boss Pep Guardiola stirred things up by claiming he was offered him in January by the player’s agent, Mino Raiola.
True or not, Guardiola’s remarkable claim put the spotlight on Pogba and, for 45 minutes, he was arguably the worst player on the pitch, squandering possession and showing little appetite for the occasion. But the French international emerged for the second half a different player, brimming with intent and dominating the game in the manner Mourinho and United fans have been demanding. He scored two in as many minutes and inspired a stunning comeback to delay City’s coronation as champions.
Little wonder Pogba’s teammates feel the 25-year-old must use his commanding display in such a high-profile game as the platform to go on and prove his worth as one of the finest players in the game.
“Paul can be the best in the world,” said team-mate Ander Herrera. “I’ve already told him that he can be the best in the world. This can be the first step to achieve that because he’s fantastic and I think he needed a day like this. As well as the two goals, I thought he played fantastic. He always wants the ball and he never hides.”
Fellow United midfielder Nemanja Matic endorsed Herrera’s view, claiming Pogba’s match-winning display showed just how influential he can be when he is focused.
“Paul, with his personality, can do that,” said Matic. “He needs to be our
main player because when he plays in that position he needs to dominate games and take responsibility.
“Don’t forget, he had some injuries this season. He had three months out and it’s not easy to come back after that.
“People expect a lot from you when you play for United. We know this is normal but he’s still young and can improve.
“He showed character and personality and you could see in the last 10 minutes that he fought a lot for the team.”
Pogba revelled in his starring role but said the win was tinged with regret because it showed United should be challenging City for the title, not trailing them by 13 points.
“I feel happy but there’s one side of me that is disappointed,” said Pogba. “With a performance like we had in the second half, if we’d done this all season I think we’d have been fighting for the title with City or maybe just in front of them.
“But this is football. It happens. And we have to carry on like this. The fans came here to support us at City’s stadium and they didn’t want us to lose.”
Goals from Vincent Kompany and Ilkay Gundogan put City 2-0 up at half-time but Pogba’s brace hauled United level early in the second half and Chris Smalling bagged a 69th-minute winner. The title may have gone for United but this win was a reminder that the gulf between them and City is not as big as the points gap suggests.
They continue to progress under Mourinho, albeit without the consistency needed to be champions.
“That is why we play,” said Pogba. “To come back better than the season before and not to make the mistakes that we’ve made before.”
The challenge now for United and Pogba is to use this seismic win as a catalyst for next season, when winning the title back from City is the only thing that matters.