Paul Pogba Hints at Change to Penalty Technique, Jose Mourinho Backs Frenchman

Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has said he may need to alter his penalty technique after Jordan Pickford saved his spot-kick in Sunday's 2-1 win over Everton, but Jose Mourinho has backed his star to recover. 

Pogba saw his stuttered spot-kick initially saved by Pickford at Old Trafford, only for the Frenchman to tuck home the rebound. He conceded in his post-match comments that the drawn-out approach may have become predictable, per MailOnline's Jack Gaughan: "I was lucky. I always try and destabilise the keeper, maybe they know how I take penalties, maybe I should practise to change it, if the 'keepers know my step."

Pickford was quoted after Everton's defeat and suggested he knew what Pogba was going to do, per Gaughan. But Mourinho was nonetheless supportive of his player to go again as long as he has the confidence, via the Manchester Evening News:

The Telegraph's Luke Edwards reported the final count of Pogba's run-up to Sunday's penalty as 28 steps, which is still within the laws of the game as long as the player doesn't halt their run altogether at any time. 

Mourinho may not have taken so kindly to Pogba's error had he not coolly slotted in the rebound, which fell neatly for him from Pickford's save. Anthony Martial supplied United's second goal before Gylfi Sigurdsson tucked in a spot-kick of his own.

United left-back Luke Shaw took a light-hearted approach to the penalty debate:

Per Transfermarkt, Sunday's spot-kick was the third he's seen saved in his career from a total of 11 attempts—a success ratio of 72.7 per cent—but was the second stopped this season.

Burnley's Joe Hart also saved from the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner in September—when United still managed to take three points in a 2-0 win—although his approach didn't take quite as long on that occasion. 

His only other saved penalty came when he was at Juventus, in a 2-0 win over Atalanta in 2015, meaning his teams actually have a perfect winning record when he gets stopped from 12 yards.

Pogba was also happy to move on from the incident and appeared content as United returned to winning ways at Old Trafford, having been beaten 1-0 at home by his former club Juventus on Tuesday:

It was Martial who won United's penalty, although Everton manager Marco Silva was disappointed with the decision, per Gaughan: "It was not a penalty. Clearly the player dived. It leaves a bad sensation. I told the players at half-time it was not a fair result."

Pogba's much-delayed approach to penalties is not new to his time at United—at least not his second stint. He appeared for France at the 2013 Under-20 FIFA World Cup and scored two such spot-kicks in the knockout stages of that tournament, including one in the shootout win over Uruguay in the final, via FIFA TV.

The Frenchman's penchant for flair sometimes leaves him open to criticism, particularly when United are eighth in the Premier League and have only two wins in their last eight games.

Bu his figures this season still stand out as some of the most well-balanced among players in his position, per Statman Dave:

More stoppers may prove they're up to the task in future if Pogba sticks to his guns and spot-kick style, and he may well throw them off more so by opting for a quicker approach to the spot.