The topsy-turvy relationship between Paul Pogba and Jose Mourinho keeps taking new twists and turns. The latest came following Manchester United’s disappointing 1-1 draw with Wolverhampton on Saturday at Old Trafford.
Manchester United lose more valuable points at home
Paul Pogba assisted on the Manchester United’s opening goal with a deft pass, which Fred converted into a goal in the 18th minute, his first Premier League goal. However, The Red Devils weren’t aggressive enough in their efforts to put the game away and were punished by a resistent Wolves side. A lost ball by Pogba led to an early second-half equaliser by Joao Moutinho and the result remained unchanged until the final whistle. The draw means Manchester United have collected only four points from their three home PL matches. It also comes after three straight competitive match road wins.
“We should move more” and “attack, attack, attack” – Paul Pogba
Pogba found himself surrounded by static teammates far too often during the contest, a familiar picture for all United fans by now. When asked about the lack of movement, this is what Pogba responded:
“I’m not the manager, I cannot, like, say that but … obviously we should show more option of playing but I cannot say that because I’m a player,”
“That’s my way of thinking – we should move better, we should move more, yeah.”
He also added the team should play with more hunger and take advantage of their home field.
“Yeah, it’s true that maybe we should have showed more hunger in some parts,”
“Maybe the attitude should be better and we should play better because, again, we are at Old Trafford and we should just attack and press like we did against Tottenham, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal last season. When we play like this it’s easier for us.”
However, when asked why is that not the case, Pogba said:
“I can’t tell you because I’m a player. It’s not me,”
“When we are at home we should attack, attack, attack. That’s Old Trafford. We are here to attack. I think teams are scared when they see Man United attacking and attacking.”
Will Mourinho react?
It is a sly dig at Mourinho’s overly defensive tactics which have seen ultra-talented players such as Pogba, Alexis Sanchez and Anthony Martial searching for their place in the team. The Portuguese manager has a wonderfully-skilled squad which could easily take advantage of the unique Old Trafford atmosphere if given the opportunity. For now, though, they’ll have to settle with what the coach wants, a coach whose chair started rocking again following the Wolves draw.
