Imagining a Manchester City Midfield with Paul Pogba in It
It looks set to be one of the most intense battles for player’s signature in years. Paul Pogba, who played for Juventus in their Champions League final defeat to Barcelona on Saturday, is a wanted man.
A host of Europe’s top clubs appear ready to part with huge sums of money in order to land the French midfielder, whose last game for the Old Lady looks like being a heartbreaking loss in European club football's showpiece event.
Manchester City will surely see him as the kind of player they need to reinvigorate their squad after a season of regression. Manuel Pellegrini, the City manager, told Sid Lowe of the Guardian back in March that he needs a world-class player to bolster his side. Pogba fits the bill.
TOP NEWS
Madrid Fines Players $590K 😲
'Mbappé Out' Petition Gaining Steam 😳
Star-Studded World Cup Ad 🤩
City’s midfield lacked dynamism at times last season. Pogba, who possesses pace and power in abundance and an ability to drive forward in the way Yaya Toure has done throughout his time at City, would go a long way toward solving the problem. He has one of the most complete games in European football, even at 22.
Whether City can land him remains to be seen. The will of the player will be vital in negotiations. City know from their experiences trying to sign Robin van Persie in 2012 and Isco in 2013 that if a player wants to go elsewhere, there’s little you can do. With Real Madrid, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain all likely to be interested, there are no guarantees he’ll be heading to the Etihad Stadium.
Pogba’s career to date has been nomadic, a constant striving for improvement and success. It began in France with US Roissy-en-Brie when he was just six before a move to Torcy seven years later offered him the next step in his development, but Le Havre controversially signed him soon after. Manchester United took him to Old Trafford in 2011, but he made just three league appearances for the club before leaving for Juventus.
His education in Italy has been by far his most comprehensive. Playing alongside Andrea Pirlo, Claudio Marchisio and Arturo Vidal, he’s been a consistent part of one of the most complete midfields in recent years. Indeed, as reported by Jack Pitt-Brooke in the Independent, Pogba has learned something from each. “I try to steal something in every training session,” he said. “I try to take on Claudio’s technique, or Arturo’s aggression, or the passing of Andrea.”
He’s had success too. Since moving to Turin in 2012, he’s won three Serie A titles and a Coppa Italia, as well as reaching the final of the Champions League. Many felt he was foolish for leaving United, but his time at Juventus has fully vindicated his decision to move on and look to develop.
He now stands on the cusp of something special. He has everything he needs to be considered one of the best players of his generation. His next move, you feel, will be absolutely vital in his pursuit of greatness.
But what would a City midfield look like if Pogba was added to it?
Alongside Toure, who looks set to stay after some speculation he could leave this summer, City would have the most powerful, dynamic midfield in English football.
Those two, perhaps, would have enough to operate as a two-man midfield in Pellegrini’s preferred 4-4-2 formation. With wingers that push on to join the attack, it requires energy and industry from the two central midfielders to make the system work, but with the pace, power, passing ability and zeal Pogba and Toure bring to the table, it would probably work.
Toure, at 32, is arguably in need of an altered role—one that demands less of him defensively. The Ivorian needs freeing, placed in a No. 10 position behind a main striker and encouraged to do as much damage in the final third as possible.
A 4-2-3-1 system, with Fernandinho and Pogba as the central pairing and Toure playing higher up the field in support of Sergio Aguero, could be a devastating option available to Pellegrini.
Fernandinho remains a quality player, one who does much of the unflattering running and tackling that allows City’s more creative players the freedom to express themselves. Pogba, whose stamina is one of his defining assets, would work well alongside him. Suddenly, City’s midfield would look full of running, something it lacked this season.
With Fernando also an option, City could switch to something more cautious in certain games. The Brazilian didn’t have the best debut campaign, but some improved performances toward the end of the season, which coincided with City’s six-match winning run, suggest he's a player with more to offer than he’s shown so far.
He is the most obviously defensive midfielder at the club, a player exclusively concerned with screening the back four. Whether he has the quality needed to be a success in the Premier League is still very much open to question, but players such as Fernando ease the burden of defensive responsibility on others.
The extra stability he would bring could be utilised against Europe's best teams in the Champions League and in difficult away games in the Premier League. City would be tough to break down with a midfield trio of Fernando, Pogba and Toure.
Not only would Pogba bring star quality to a squad in need of a major signing to reinvigorate the existing players, he would also bring new options to the City coaching staff. Their title defence this season was disappointing, but the eight-point gap between them and Chelsea is somewhat misleading. City still possess really quality in their squad, and with the right tweaks this summer, they will be back to their best.
Pogba would be a vital addition if the club could convince him his future will be best served at the Etihad.
Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report's lead Manchester City correspondent and follows the club from a Manchester base. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter: @RobPollard.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
