I do wonder how consistent Santi could have been in the AM spot if we had never signed Ozil.
Not very because his body broke down hugely 18 months after the Ozil signing.
The Ozil signing is nowhere near as bad as people make it out to be, the last contract extension is tragic though. But he was good for majority of his first 5 seasons which also coincided with us returning to win silverware after a 9 year drought.
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Or remaining in a more advanced role would have been less of a burden on his body and the injuries might not have ever happened?
I think thatâs a reach personally, but itâs all a guessing game.
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Only in the same way Pogba delivers a League cup and Europa League.
People would feel short changed at both clubs.
Did United ever really put Pogba in a position to succeed though? The signing was driven by vanity rather than pragmatism
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Yep. They signed a mercurial talent and surrounded him with dross and gave him absolute dogshit to work with in terms of management, players and just the general direction of the club.
Surrounded with shit players, working with a past it José and an out of his depth Ole.
Has he ever imposed himself or tried to lead. Not for me. Hasnât turned up many times.
Over his first 5 seasons Ozil created more key chances than anyone in the EPL, yet some act like he has been a bonafide flop.
Not saying he has been a world beater, but he has been far from a flop.
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Lol youâre determined to die on this hill
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I think itâs a reasonable position but for me if youâre going to go to bat on Pogba for those reasons you should do the same for Ozil cos same things apply. Both incredible talents who just donât really care for me.
Not to tell @SRCJJ his business. Donât hurt me man.
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I wonât stop beating this one until Pogba proves to everyone just how damn good he truly is haha.
For me, itâs because I watched his growth at Juventus and saw just how good he is when he has the right talent around him.
His role at United has always been so unclear. Jose wanted him to defend loads- which he shouldnât be doing. Ole almost wants him as a number 10- which he isnât.
Heâs been criminally mismanaged.
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One fact out there; we mismanaged players. Cazorla and Fabregas both havenât been as injury prone after they left Arsenal.
Btw. His signing wasnât bad. From a team building perspective that money should have been invested elsewhere though. Cazorla was the only player of that 12/13 team who didnât need to be replaced.
Pogba has far better players and teams than what Bales had at Wales. The comparison in attitude and performance tells you what defines top level footballers. World class players have world class attitudes always.
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Team @SRCJJ on this one. Pogba is an elite midfielder. That 20min cameo the other week when he came on and immediately dwarfed everyone on the field was just a glimpse of how good he is.
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Different positions. Bale is expected to influence the final third of the pitch with a constant and direct stream of goals and assists.
Pogba has a totally different role on the pitch, which relies heavily on the quality of those around him.
How many world class midfielders perform to a world class standard in shit teams with barely viable managers and a shit squad?
Bale did at Spurs.
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Iâm highlighting attitude though from an elite level player.
Bale obviously carries that side but he lifts and leads them players around him.
Thatâs not just going to come on match day. His effect in training and on the players around him can only come from a degree of humility that I doubt Pogba shows,gives or feels at United.
Pogba certainly hasnât covered himself in glory at United but there is no doubt he is world class. I remember watching abit of him at Juventus from 2013-15 and saw him moving to Barcelona and fitting in seamlessly.
For some reason or another his agent got him a move to united and its been a disaster. Not the right club at all and he must surely question his managementâŠ
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Unpopular opinion - any player in this squad is good enough to reach the top four with.
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