Manchester United fans must still be reeling from the departure of Paul Pogba last summer. The Frenchman exited Old Trafford to sign for Juventus and has, as many expected, shown clear indications that he possesses the ability to live up to the potential he exhibited as a youngster.
In 27 league appearances last season, 18 of which were starts, Pogba earned an average WhoScored.com rating of 7.38, with his 5 goals, 1 of which was a splendid long range effort against Udinese, helping Juventus to their 29th Serie A title as a result. His displays in the middle of the park, on the back of a transfer window that saw only Marouane Fellaini sign for United, have left supporters wondering what could have been.
The 20-year-old has churned out a number of impressive performances for La Vecchia Signora since moving to Italy, encapsulated in his 4 man of the match awards last term. Pogba has since followed this up with a further 2 match winning displays, during which the France international has picked up 2 assists and a goal, not to mention his strike in the 4-0 Supercoppa Italiana win over Lazio in August.
As a result his average rating this term currently sits at 7.8, the highest of every Juventus player, with Pogba evidently excelling on a consistent basis in the midfield. After 7 Serie A games this term, the youngster is averaging an impressive 3.9 tackles per game; only Chilean Arturo Vidal (4.1) is making more for the defending Serie A champions.
This facet of his game would certainly have assisted a United midfield that has appeared particularly lightweight this term, regardless of the capture of Fellaini. More pertinently, this figure is a notable mark up on the 2.5 per encounter from last season, highlighting how Pogba is developing the rougher side of his game, although this may be down to Juventus’ somewhat lackadaisical start to the campaign.
While Antonio Conte’s side is 1 of only 3 teams currently unbeaten in Italy’s top tier this season, many believe their performances have dipped in quality compared to last term. This ideology is perhaps reinforced by the fact that Pogba is being forced to win possession in the midfield third 3.6 times per game, a markup on the 2.9 times per league encounter from the previous campaign.
This isn’t necessarily a negative look on Pogba’s displays this term, far from it, with the powerful midfielder performing the role that he’s asked to carry out to great effect, with the average number of times he’s winning possession in the midfield third the most of every Juventus player. Rather, the inability of those around him to hold onto the ball as well as they have in the past has meant that the defensive side of his game is being tested more often.
With a pass success of 83% the same as it was last season, the former United ace is performing at a similar level in terms of retaining possession, though he's seeing more of the ball having averaged 44 accurate passes per game, 5.6 more than last term (38.4). With more time in possession, his impact in the midfield has also risen, albeit marginally, when considering his desire to drive the ball forward.
This season Pogba has averaged 2 successful dribbles per game - no teammate has completed more - with that figure a marginal improvement on his 1.8 per encounter last term. While it’s a particularly negligible increase, it's a figure on the rise nonetheless, emphasising his statistically calculated WhoScored.com strength of ‘dribbling’.
His power and drive when in possession is an asset that Juventus are evidently exploiting to its full potential. Offensively, his energy will bolster their attack, especially with Carlos Tévez often dropping deeper to link up play between the midfield and the frontline.
With Pogba often caught further up field as a result, it’s little surprise to have seen him win possession in the attacking third an average of 0.7 times per game this season; only Claudio Marchisio (1) and Kwadwo Asamoah (0.8) are doing so more regularly. Considering this figure sat at just 0.3 last term, winning the ball back for his team high up the pitch will give I Bianconeri the opportunity to attack the opposition swiftly and to devastating effect, with his dribbling capability likely to be at its most dangerous in the final third.
Firing in 2.3 shots per game reinforces the notion that he’s pressing forward more to support the attack, even if the increase from last season's 2.1 is relatively trivial. The most telling increase, perhaps, is his number of key passes, with Pogba averaging 1.9 per game at present up from the 0.8 from last season.
Evidently, the young Frenchman has improved significantly with an increase in playing time. At the same stage last season, Pogba had played just 117 minutes of Serie A football in 3 appearances, starting just once. Comparatively, he has played 575 minutes of league football this term, being involved in all 7 of Juventus’ opening league fixtures, starting 6.
At the age of 20, Pogba has ample time to improve further, of that there is little doubt. If he can continue to impress, there is no reason why the midfielder can’t build on his current average rating of 7.8, especially if Conte continuously persists with the youngster in the heart of his 3-man midfield.
Do you think Paul Pogba is living up to his potential? Let us know in the comments below
