ANALYSIS: Pogba can be like a new signing for Juventus in 2016
“We all played badly. The first half was simply unacceptable. I am stunned, as I am the captain and it hurts my soul to see my team dominated like that, to see my team not realize how important this game is and what attitude to take”
These words were spoken by a frustrated Gianluigi Buffon after Juventus’ demoralizing 1-0 defeat to Sassuolo on October 28, when the Bianconeri were ranked 12th in Serie A after 10 league games.
Juventus’ youngsters had been accused of not having understood the importance of playing for a glorious club like Juventus and new signings had been struggling to adapt and cope with pressure.
Claudio Marchisio (who was out of action due to injury against Sassuolo) seemed the only player capable of bossing the midfield as Juventus have never been losing one single game with him on the pitch this season.
Paul Pogba, on the other hand, was the shadow of himself. The 22-year-old Frenchman struggled to fill Andrea Pirlo and Arturo Vidal boots at the Stadium, two players who had helped his growth in Turin during the previous three campaigns.
“He has to be less stylish and more consistent”, Juventus’ vice-president Pavel Nedved had warned the former Man Utd starlet just a few days before the Bianconeri’s calamitous defeat to Sassuolo.
Pogba made 74 touches during that game, shooting only once on target and failing to win the only tackle that he made against the Neroverdi. Pogba, as Gigi Buffon pointed out at the end of the match, had been ‘dominated’ by Eusebio Di Francesco’s swashbuckling midfielders.
POGBA AGAINST SASSUOLO
Massmiliano Allegri, who expects Pogba to become a Yaya Touré-Style ‘box-to-box’ player, had never put too much pressure on Pogba’s shoulders, though the Old Lady’s boss has also been asking Pogba to be more ‘concrete’ and ‘consistent’.
Juventus, by the way, have been winning nine successive Serie A games since the Mapei Stadium clash and the Old Lady has stormed back into the title race.
Gigi Buffon’s call on his team-mates has been pointed out as a key factor that led to the Old Lady’s renaissance, but it is fair to say that also Paul Pogba’s role has been vital to get Juventus back on track.
Barcelona, Real Madrid, PSG and Man City target has been stepping up over the last couple of months, so much so he directly contributed to four goals for his side in the last five games, including the opener netted during Juventus’ 2-1 away victory against Sampdoria on Sunday evening.
Pogba made less touches during the Marassi clash than against Sassuolo in October, but his work was crucial to create numerical advantage in the midfield battle, proving that he can be able of commanding the midfield also without a key player like Claudio Marchisio playing close to him.
Juventus’ n.10 made three interceptions last Sunday, winning the 67% of tackles, shooting four times and scoring an eye-catching goal during the first-half.
POGBA AGAINST SAMPDORIA
We are not trying to say that the game against Sampdoria was Pogba’s best display of the season, nor that it’s the highest standard that the player can reach. Pogba’s distribution, by instance, was better against Sassuolo than against Sampdoria.
By the way, there is no shadow of a doubt that Pogba is slowly becoming the ‘box-to-box to player’ that Massimiliano Allegri wants to see.
At the beginning of the season it seemed that he was suffering from the burden of hype, but he has been adapting to his new life at the Stadium of late. Juventus want to build their future around Pogba, but being one of the most skilled and talented player out there, doesn’t necessarily mean that you’d be also a decisive player as well as a leader.
Becoming a leader is a long term process and both Juventus and Massimiliano Allegri are well aware of it. They’ve been waiting for Pogba until the beginning of the season and now they’re reaping the rewards of keeping faith in him.
Even if a world-class central midfielder won’t join the Stadium in January window, Pogba can be like a new signing for Juventus in the second part of the season.
POGBA STATS IN SERIE A
