Overview
THERE WAS PLENTY of scrutiny on France’s Paul Pogba during last weekend’s Euro 2016 final.
Talk of an imminent €100 million-plus move to either Man United or Real Madrid meant expectations were high.
Consequently, the hosts’ loss against Portugal last Sunday meant there there was a sense of inevitability about the golden boy of French football coming in for criticism.
Of course, Pogba has been slated throughout the tournament. After he conceded an early penalty against Ireland in the last-16, Gary Lineker tweeted: “Is Pogba the world’s most overrated player?”
And last weekend’s final was no exception. Pogba was heavily criticised for the loss, with many taking issue with his supposed valuation, while French publication L’Equipe awarded just 4/10 for his performance, the worst ranking given to a player apart from Dimitri Payet (who was given a 3).
So was Pogba really that bad? We’ve taken an in-depth look at his display below.
Pogba’s rotating roles and how he came to be France’s holding midfielder
Paul Pogba played as one of France’s sitting midfielders in a 4-2-3-1 formation against Portugal.
It was the exact same formation and personnel France had gone with in the wins over Germany and Iceland in the previous rounds.
Didier Deschamps had previously experimented with a 4-3-3 in the opening Euro 2016 match against Romania, with Pogba the right-sided central midfielder alongside N’Golo Kante and Blaise Matuidi, while Antoine Griezmann and Dimitri Payet were either side of Olivier Giroud in attack.
Against Albania in their second match, Deschamps opted for a 4-2-3-1 for the first time, though Pogba was left out of the starting XI (though he was introduced at half-time), with Kante and Matuidi anchoring the midfield.
Payet, Kingsley Coman and Anthony Martial played just behind Giroud in attack, though it was an unconvincing performance despite the 2-0 result, with late goals from Griezmann and Payet sparing France’s blushes.
For their final group match against Switzerland, France had already qualified, so the line-up was somewhat experimental. Pogba was this time on the left side of central midfield in a 4-3-3 formation, with Yohan Cabaye and Moussa Sissoko alongside him, while Griezmann, André-Pierre Gignac and Coman formed a three-man attack.
It was against Ireland in the last-16 where Deschamps finally seemed to settle on a reliable formation and a position for Pogba.
France began the game with a 4-3-3 formation, with Pogba to the left and Matuidi to the right of Kante in midfield. Meanwhile, Giroud, Payet and Griezmann led the attack as expected.
With France 1-0 down, a key switch came at half-time. Coman replaced Kante, and France reverted to a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Pogba and Matuidi as the two holding players, while the Bayern Munich man was further forward along with Payet and Griezmann, who took up a central role just behind Giroud.
Although the personnel may have been altered slightly, France stuck with this strategy for the remainder of the tournament. Pogba, despite often playing a more attacking midfield role for Juventus, would have to be content with a defensive-midfield slot.
While impressing in particular in the 5-2 win over Iceland in which he contributed a goal, Pogba at times looked less than comfortable playing in a more withdrawn role, particularly in last Sunday’s final against Portugal.
You think of Pogba at his best in the final third, contributing goals and assists (see below). Yet last week, the France star looked a different player to his normal Juventus self, as if he had been specifically told to try nothing special or contribute in any meaningful way to the attack.
Restrained and going through the motions
Pogba showed why he was chosen as a defensive midfielder early in the match.
A well-timed tackle he made on Nani broke up a Portuguese attack, though he proceeded to give the ball away cheaply thereafter.
It didn’t get much better for Pogba from this point on. Particularly with Cristiano Ronaldo going off injured in the 25th minute before he could make an impact on proceedings, Portugal rarely threatened on the counter attack until the game became slightly more open in extra-time, so Pogba’s athleticism and tackling ability was seldom needed.
The Juventus man did see plenty of the ball, with Portugal invariably backing off and soaking up French pressure. It was this part of the play where Pogba was disappointing. At 23, he is still learning the game, but at the moment, he does not have the ability to dictate the play in style of a Xavi or Andrea Pirlo-type player.
More often than not, Pogba was unwilling to take risks in possession. His lethargy summed up the lack of urgency that pervaded the French side.
Watch the clip below. Pogba shows no interest in making something happen and linking up the play with an incisive pass the way all the best midfielders who play in his position tend to do.
The clip above is a typical example of something that happened numerous times with Pogba throughout the game. The lack of risk in France’s game suited Portugal. There was far too much aimless passing between the back four from the hosts, and it was only after Eder scored in extra time when they really started to try to play with a sense of adventure and daring.
Again, notice in the clip below, how despite having plenty of time and space, Pogba shows no desire to be brave and turn on the ball. Central midfield is the most important position in football, and with this sort of negative play characterising their game, it’s no wonder France lacked a goal threat for much of the contest.
Sissoko shows Pogba how it’s done
There were reports recently that Man United were considering a bid for Moussa Sissoko if a deal for Pogba falls through, and it may not be such a bad alternative on the basis of how the final panned out.
Sissoko was comfortably France’s best player. He was one of the few players on the field who performed with a sense of conviction.
While Pogba mainly resorted to overly cautious sideways passes and largely unsuccessful cross-field balls, Sissoko showed some purpose in his play.
The type of driving run the Newcastle midfielder goes on below is an example of the positive play that was consistently evident in his performance and a prime example of what Pogba should be doing.
Lack of energy due to tiredness?
Tiredness is one possible reason why Pogba delivered such a limp display in the final, although given that two out of three of Portugal’s previous matches had gone to extra-time, it had been expected that Fernando Santos’ men would be more likely to wilt.
That said, Pogba had some involvement in all of France’s Euro 2016 matches, starting every game bar the Albania clash, while he played in the tournament on the back of a long, hard season with Juventus.
Yet even still, it was disappointing to see a player renowned for his physique and athleticism fade so badly as the game wore on.
Pogba rarely threatened to break out into a sprint during the game, and often played so deep that he was virtually a third centre-back — not exactly helpful when France spent much of the game trying to break down their stubborn opponents.
Even in the limited work he had to do as a defensive midfielder, he was disappointing, producing some weak, ineffectual tackles, such as the example below on João Mário, where teammate Bacary Sagna ultimately has to bail him out, after his poor attempt at a challenge.
At his worst, Pogba didn’t even bother looking for the ball and it appeared as if he was abdicating responsibility, hoping one of his similarly talented teammates would produce a bit of magic instead.
Culpability for the goal
Worst of all was Pogba’s role in Portugal’s winning goal.
There were a series of errors in the build-up, with at least four of France’s players partially at fault.
Sagna gave the ball away with a poorly judged throw-in, Griezmann lost a 50:50 challenge, and Laurent Koscielny was shrugged off the ball far too easily before substitute Eder’s powerful strike put his side in the driving seat.
And while Pogba’s culpability was less noticeable, it was an equally vital contributory factor.
Notice Pogba, in the clip above, with the number 15 on his back. He is just behind Eder and jogging at a snail’s pace.
Footballers are told to expect worst-case scenarios in these type of situations. Pogba’s lack of effort in trying to stop Eder suggests he simply hopes for the best and expects Koscielny to make the tackle. Instead, he should be sprinting back and preparing for the worst.
It may seem harsh, but the clip above is indicative of Pogba’s sluggishness and poor attitude throughout the match. Moreover, he has routinely been called a ‘world-class player’ and so will of course be judged by the highest standards. And last Sunday, he patently failed to live up to the hype.
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