Perhaps one of the most criticized football players in recent times, it is safe to say Paul Pogba has had his fair share of negativity.
However, we believe Paul Pogba does not deserve most of the criticism coming his way, despite Manchester United’s terrible form this season. In fact, Pogba should be praised for his contribution to ensuring United did not finish below top six.
Before you rave about why we are wrong, check out our reasons why:
· 2018/19 Stats
Without doubt, Pogba was one of United’s best players this season, if not the best. The Midfielder netted a whopping 13 goals and has 9 assists to his name.
In all competitions, he scored 24 goals and an impressive 23 assists with an impressive shooting accuracy of 48%.
Pogba was also an unstoppable force defensively with a tackle success of 64%. With 234 duels and 218 recoveries, the 26-year old was no doubt a savior for the United team.
The World Cup winner is obviously the highest goal scorer and best playmaker in United this season, and without his contribution, they probably would have been far worse.
In all honesty, Pogba has managed to squeeze water from stone at United.
· TOTY
The Frenchman was also the only player outside Manchester City and Liverpool that made it to the PFA Team of the Year.
The team of the year is voted by members of the Professional Footballers’ Association. Pogba must be doing something right if the majority of his fellow players in the Premier League believe he deserves a spot on the Team Of The Year.
· Era Of The GOATS
It is no secret that the Ronaldo and Messi era has heightened expectations in football and we believe Pogba is merely a victim of the era of the GOATS.
In a recent interview with Icon Magazine, the 26-year-old commented on the fact that he has been the main scapegoat for United’s shortcomings despite his obvious efforts:
“Football has changed a lot. “I grew up watching the exploits of great champions, real legends like [Alessandro] Del Piero, [Luis] Figo, [Francesco] Totti and many others.
“All have been champions, the best in the world, but perhaps many of them did not achieve more than 20 goals per season.
“Now the data, the statistics, the numbers, often seem to have become the only parameter of judgment.
“That, on the one hand, is good, it is part of the evolution of modern football and the desire to play the ball more and more.
“But we often tend to forget how difficult it has always been to score more than 20 goals, even for the big players.
“And today perhaps even more so, because the distance between the teams of high level has been reduced, especially in big competitions.
“Messi and Ronaldo have shown in recent years: doing what they did, maintaining those stats – that is the exception, not the norm.
“If an attacker today scores ten or 15 goals, he is likely to be told that it is not enough. But the player's work must be judged with perspective.
“You have to remember that someone like Pavel Nedved won the Ballon d’Or without his team winning the Champions League or without having scored much himself.
“He was simply the best in his role and was rewarded for what he was capable of doing on the field.”
And we agree with him.
Do you think fans have been too hard on Paul Pogba?
