There are many such sagas that occur and get prolonged during the transfer window and it gives birth to many such speculations which go on for years and years and especially when it comes to young, rising prodigies of world football, the speculation never dies and the player gets linked with every top club!
Similar is the case when we look at Paul Pogba’s situation. The 22 year old lanky Frenchman roughly around the height of 190 centimetres is strong and elegant in his football. Paul Pogba caught many eyes at Juventus after leaving Manchester United, dismayed at the lack of opportunities he got under Sir Alex Ferguson. Clubs like Real Madrid, Manchester United, Chelsea, Barcelona and Paris St.Germain have been linked with Pogba and it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Frenchmen moves away from Juventus soon.
In the recent days, although many rumours have stopped, one club particularly has emerged as a leading figure to capture this French sensation and they are none other than the reigning champions of English Football, Chelsea Football club. There are several reasons as to why Chelsea need a versatile attacking midfielder more than anything and here are a few of those reasons :
* First of all, Chelsea lack depth in this sector. Playing double pivots has been Chelsea’s style since Mourinho led them to the premier league itself and once again with only John Obi Mikel as well as Matic and Fabregas, Chelsea rely too much on these players and one injury can affect the entire side.
* The poor form of Oscar is still continuing for Chelsea and provided that the immense regulation that goes on between the front four of Chelsea, it’s yielding no result and from the centre itself, there is a lack of penetration that is depriving Chelsea of their goals.
* Third and vital point will be the extreme inconsistency in creativity witnessed this season. Chelsea have failed to open up the opposition several times and in this second half of the season under Hiddink especially this has been the case largely.
This is where Pogba becomes immensely important that is because of his lean muscular build, he is quick being so tall which allows him to make dynamic dribbles and movements while covering large amounts of space and running at oppositions.
Even so, he has the agility needed to take many small steps while dribbling in order to quickly change direction and make decisions while unbalancing his opponents – though his dynamic movement when surrounded by many players is not at the level of Messi or Modric, who both have a lower center of gravity and are quicker, he is still quite good in congested areas as he relies more on combinations with his teammates to escape high-pressure situations.
When Pogba reaches top running speed, his stride length assists him in covering large amounts of space. His capacity for dynamic movements coupled with his lengthy body allows him to perform many different dribbles as well as be able to press the ball and tackle the opponent very well and it also gives him the liberty to find some really good passes and play them to penetrate the opposition.
One of the most eye-catching thing about Pogba is that his dribbles are not only meant to open up the opposition but his dribbling is highly focused on shielding the ball and keeping possession instead of trying to constantly beat players, though he often uses the opponent’s momentum against them in order to go around them when he is being pressed in midfield. It’s important to identify and describe some of his favorite and most frequently used dribbles so that there can be a better understanding of his style of play. Paul Pogba can do body feints, he can accelerate and de-accelerate, produce gorgeous touches from back-heels, provide lay-offs and shield the ball as well as play as a holding midfielder very effectively.
Statistically speaking on the other hand, Paul Pogba has made 54 appearances for Juventus in previous two chances and he has created a whopping 71 chances. He has struck the back of the net 13 times over the course of this time. Paul Pogba has a passing accuracy of 85% approximately and he has won 53% of the average duels this season. It is an impressive stat for a midfielder and creating 71 chances is massive for anyone. It signifies his role as a strong playmaker as well as a solid team player.
After analyzing all this, let’s look at how Chelsea will line up with Paul Pogba and how he will fit in.
Predicted Line up: 4-3-3 with wingers.
So with Chelsea, Pogba will be expected to play the role as a midfielder who will be given freedom to attack and make runs through the centre and create opportunities. He’d enliven this midfield and provide a real spark from here. Coupled with Hazard on the left flank, it looks like a really pacey left side for Chelsea and it’s intimidating for any opposition.
Pogba plays the same position with Juventus in a 3-5-2 formation where he is witnessed making runs down the left hand side and combining with Dybala perfectly. Here too he can find Diego Costa almost anywhere from the air or he can slide some really gorgeous through balls to the feet of Hazard or Pedro/Willian. If Chelsea go very attacking, then Pogba can Calibri (Body) of Nemanja Matic and Oscar and it isn’t surprising to see that both the players might possibly leave the club this summer with the arrival of a new manager.
I’d like to say that if Chelsea really want Pogba and if Pogba is available over the summer, then they must make a move. This young star from France is an attention stealer and he is too good to say no to.