POGBACK

Michael Nardi

The Pogba saga at United has concluded with the Frenchman returning to the Turin giants once more after 5 years in England. Pogba’s time at United can best be described as turbulent, not only for the player himself, but the club as a whole. Constant criticism from English pundits regarding Pogba, during a time when United was far from competing for significant silverware.

Thus, saw Pogba struggle to show his true ability as he did for the French national team. What seemed to put the nail in the coffin for Pogba and United was the disrespect the fans showed him after a 3-2 victory over Norwich in mid-April. Where the fans were taunting and swearing at Pogba as he walked through the tunnel, signalling a broken relationship between the player and the fans. Even when the team was in front, United fans were unhappy with him.

Pogba returns to a club he is familiar with and reunites with a manager who was able to get the best out of him. However, this Juve team is not the one of old. It is a club that has not won Serie A in back-to-back years and is in a clear transition phase. Juve finished fourth last season and won no trophies for the first time since the 2010-2011 season. Juve lacked flair in midfield this season with many players past their best having significant roles in midfield.

The Frenchman joins Italian international Manuel Locatelli in midfield, which will give Juve the ability to control games- an element of the game in which they struggled with last season- even against the lesser sides. The key for manager Massimiliano Allegri in unlocking Pogba revolves around building a midfield that can cover the defensive phase of play; this was a massive issue during his time at United.

During his time in Manchester, he was used as a number 6 playing deep to screen the back 4, which not only limits his attacking output, but makes his defensive shortcomings ever-present. When Pogba made the FIFAPro World XI in 2016, he had a hard-working, but technically sound midfield with the likes of Vidal, Marchisio, and Pirlo.

During this time at Juve, Pogba was an 8 in midfield with limited defensive responsibility in comparison to his midfield counterparts. If Juve can find another midfielder with strong ball winning capabilities, I can see Pogba replicating similar success in his second stint with the Turin giants.

Pogba gets Juve a bit closer to the heights of years past, even with the way his performance underwent while at United. Juventus needed a marquee signing to quickly start a new project, but also continue to attract bigger talents. There is still work to be done for Juventus but the midfield is shaping out to be a strength heading into this upcoming season, however more will be needed to catch their Milan rivals at the top.