Does Manchester United's Jose Mourinho need to look at Chelsea boss Antonio Conte to bring the best out of Paul Pogba?
Manchester United face Chelsea on Super Sunday as the hosts look to continue their efforts to secure second in the Premier League standings.
The game sees Paul Pogba come up against former boss Antonio Conte, with the pair enjoying two successful seasons at Juventus together.
Whilst hitting the headlines for the right reasons under Conte in Italy, the French midfielder has largely failed to reach the same heights under Jose Mourinho at Manchester United.
Tom Carnduff looks at Pogba’s spell at Juventus and examines his struggles at Old Trafford...
Released on a free transfer by United in 2012, a 19-year-old Pogba made the switch to Italy and linked up with Conte as La Vecchia Signora looked to defend their Serie A title.
He’d made just seven first-team appearance in Sir Alex Ferguson’s side during the 2011/12 campaign, amounting to just 68 minutes of Premier League football from the bench.
Despite minimal minutes in England, Conte would view the midfielder as a regular feature of his team for the second-half of the season. He started most games in 2013, and Juventus glided to top flight glory once again as they beat second-placed Napoli by nine points.
Speaking to the Italian press at the start of the new season in 2013, Conte said "In comparison to last season, Paul is a different player. He grew on a tactical and technical level too.
“I've read recently in an interview in which he said he wants to become the world's strongest player. I'm happy for this.
“He must have these ambitions and be working for this because he has all the possibilities. But he must keep his feet on the ground and follow mine and his team-mates' suggestions.”
There was no case of ‘second season syndrome’ for the talented youngster. He’d firmly established himself as a key part of the Turin side. During 2013/14, he’d played in over 50 games for Juventus, contributing with nine goals and 16 assists.
Lining up alongside legendary Italian midfielder Andrea Pirlo, Pogba thrived under Conte’s guidance. He’d won the UEFA Golden Boy award in 2013 and would secure a position in the Serie A Team of the Year for 2013/14. The world was at his feet.
Paul Pogba is 11/1 to score first against Chelsea on Sunday.
Pogba’s remarkable spell in Italy firmly put him as one of Europe’s hot prospects. At just 22, he’d played a part in 26 goals as Juventus stormed to Serie A glory, once again by a margin of nine points over Napoli.
Despite Conte’s departure for the Italian national team, Pogba had excelled under the guidance of the Italian and was awarded the FIFA World Cup Best Young Player for his performances for France at Brazil 2014.
Unsurprisingly, a big money move followed and he was reunited with the club where his senior career began, Manchester United.
The hype and excitement was understandable at the time of his arrival, but since then, there’s been constant questioning of where he is best played.
Does he play in a more advanced position, in front of a midfield three, or to the left?
The arrival of Nemanja Matic from Chelsea in the summer relieved Pogba of defensive midfield duties, but it hasn’t nailed down a certain role for him in Mourinho’s side.
In fact, United’s most expensive player has failed to play 90 minutes of football since the victory over Burnley over a month ago.
He was hauled off following Matt Richie’s winning goal for Newcastle. Mourinho also elected to start Ander Herrera over the Frenchman in Wednesday’s 0-0 draw with Sevilla in the Champions League.
Jose opted for Scott McTominay, Nemanja Matic and Herrera in a deep three-man midfield block against the Spanish outfit, with the manager being forced to look at Pogba after Herrera's injury issue.
Manchester United are 5/4 to beat Chelsea on Sunday.
The performance in Spain drew criticism from some, but the United boss was pleased with his efforts. “Paul replaced Ander,” Mourinho told the press, “he tried to bring to the game the same kind of qualities, plus he has security with the ball.
“Of course he lost a couple of possessions, but he gave us also stability – because we had a good percentage of ball possession for the way we play a match away from home against a good team like Sevilla."
Whilst Manchester United had the ability within their ranks to stretch the opposition, they're instructed to play deeper and cover, trying to limit the attacking opportunities and were ultimately rescued by another top performance from goalkeeper David De Gea.
It’s not the first time that Mourinho has had to discuss selection around the Frenchman. After the defeat to Spurs at the beginning of February, the manager explained that Pogba wasn’t injured, “it was just to change for (Marouane) Fellaini. We had to try different qualities with different players.”
Pogba doesn’t want to listen to Mourinho’s instructions?
— Man Utd Universe (@ManUtdUniverse) January 31, 2018
Ok, off you come son. #mufc pic.twitter.com/a0hDLLCOEz
A very visible disagreement was evident between the pair, with Pogba arguing his point against the manager’s tactical instructions.
The friction between manager and star player may hint towards Mourinho’s own wider struggle at United, a club rich in tradition battling against the boss who plays football in a different, often defensive way.
Unfortunately for the midfielder, he could become the latest victim of this.
Pogba's difficulties this season are also clear when it comes to potential individual awards. Manchester United teammates David De Gea and Romelu Lukaku are more fancied to pick up the PFA Player of the Year award, Pogba sitting at a huge 100/1 price for the accolade.
He’d gone from fifth place in the 2015 FIFA Ballon d’Or rankings, to 14th in 2016 and failing to make the top 30 in 2017.
It’s unlikely he’ll break back into the top end in 2018, based on current issues.
Despite the questions, Pogba has once again produced the assists and sits third in the Premier League rankings, behind Manchester City pair Kevin De Bruyne and Leroy Sane.
Whilst Manchester United have been stopped by a dominant campaign from bitters rivals City, they’ve still managed to enjoy a fairly positive season.
They still have an opportunity in the Champions League and have also become the 11/4 favourites for the FA Cup following City’s shock departure to Wigan.
The current role of Pogba in potential success though, is unclear.
His freedom to adapt to most roles at Juventus allowed him to flourish alongside the likes of Pirlo, Sami Khedira, Claudio Marchisio and Arturo Vidal. Conte knew how to get the best out of him in a variety of circumstances, a contrast to Manchester United’s Mourinho.
Arriving in Italy as a free transfer, and departing as one of the world’s most expensive players, shows Conte’s impact on his development as a player. Despite the pair’s public war of words and falling out throughout the current campaign, Mourinho may have to look at his counterpart if he wants to bring out the best in Pogba.
Related football links
MOST READ FOOTBALL
FOOTBALL TIPS
