Joy to watch Pogba during purple patch under Ole
OLE Gunnar Solskjaer says it is a ‘joy’ to coach Paul Pogba after another man-of-the-match performance for United at Fulham.
The midfielder has scored eight and provided five assists in nine Premier League games under the Norwegian and is arguably enjoying the best form of his United career.
The first half of the season was blighted by Pogba’s issues with former manager Jose Mourinho, who started the Frenchman in two of his last six games before he was sacked on December 18.
Pogba also angered sections of the United fanbase by appearing to celebrate Mourinho’s sacking in a tweet posted moments after United confirmed the Portuguese’s departure.
Solskjaer gave Pogba his reserve debut at the age of 17 and the France international made his first Old Trafford appearance under Solskjaer for the second string in 2010. Solskjaer’s familiarity with Pogba was bound to lead to an upturn in form from the 25-year-old and the United caretaker coach is delighted with Pogba’s displays.
“Paul is still young and a World Cup winner,” Solskjaer said. “I am sure he will keep improving and he has been fantastic for me. “It is a joy coaching him.” Pogba’s brother, Mathias, said the World Cup winner was considering leaving United under Mourinho. In the immediate aftermath of the Fulham win, Solskjaer remarked that Pogba was ‘in a good place’.
“I don’t really like to compare players,” Solskjaer stressed. “But I know that Paul is in good form, in a good place at the moment.
“When he arrives in the box there is always going to be a chance of scoring a goal, or an assist. Great finish [for the] first one. I don’t think I would have hit it like he did, so fantastic goal!” WHEN United were paired with Paris St-Germain in the last 16 of the Champions League in December, there weren’t many fans banking on passage to the quarter-finals.
This was when the Reds were tearing themselves apart in the bleak final days of Jose Mourinho.
In fact, it was the final day of Mourinho’s reign at the club.
The draw was made the day after the damning capitulation at Anfield. The day before the Portuguese was dismissed.
United were a long way behind the Premier League’s top four and appeared to be even further behind Europe’s elite.
The Reds might have fancied it against Porto, maybe even a Bayern Munich side who haven’t hit top gear this season, but most of the group winners lurking for them looked unappetising.
There was that dramatic late win against Juventus in Turin in the group stage, but beyond that United hadn’t really impressed in finishing above Valencia and Young Boys.
There was no sense that this was the beginning of a wonderful European journey.
It still may not be, but as the first leg against PSG comes into view tomorrow at Old Trafford, the mood around the tie has altered dramatically since the draw was made in Nyon before Christmas.
Suddenly United are warming to their task. The fears of a one-sided mauling have been replaced by a creeping sensation that this might just be another turning point on the road to recovery.
In Manchester, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has revitalised fortunes. Eleven unbeaten, 10 of them wins, entertaining football and a harmonious club once again, one that looks to be at ease with itself.
Solskjaer has reminded United who and what they are supposed to be.
In his days as a player under Sir Alex Ferguson no European side would have held any fear for the Norwegian.
You can bet that will be the message from Solskjaer before battle commences in Manchester and hostilities are renewed in Paris on March 6.
Now the anxieties are appearing in Paris, instead. Domestically Thomas Tuchel’s side are cruising to the title, but there has been the odd blemish of late. They were beaten in Ligue 1 for the first time last weekend at Lyon and suffered a shock League Cup defeat to Guingamp, while they needed extra-time to beat third tier side Villefranche in the French Cup on Wednesday and scraped past Bordeaux 1-0 on Saturday. But PSG aren’t judged on domestic success, however many points they win the league by. Their raison d’etre now is to conquer Europe. They’re almost too big for Ligue 1. It’s in Europe that their success is measured and where the fate of their managers is decided. That pressure to succeed on the continent can be crushing. For all the money invested, for all the star names, PSG’s Champions League record is mediocre. They’ve not been beyond the quarter-finals since the Qatari takeover and for the owners that simply isn’t good enough. Tyrone Marshall