Jose Mourinho Claims Paul Pogba Was The Best Player On The Pitch Against Chelsea
Reuters / Jason Cairnduff
Jose Mourinho has surprisingly claimed that Paul Pogba was the best player on the pitch during Manchester United’s FA Cup clash against Chelsea.
The two English heavyweights contested in a controversial quarterfinal tie wherein the Blues came out on top and won the game 1-0, thanks to a goal from midfielder N’Golo Kante. The game also saw Eden Hazard torment the Manchester United defence and get fouled often, and Ander Herrera get sent off after picking up two yellow cards.
However, as per the Special One, United’s £89m-rated star Paul Pogba – who happened to attempt just 27 passes during the entire game – was the standout performer on the night.
Mourinho was quoted as saying (via Sky Sports): “We have to be positive, the players were phenomenal but Pogba was by far the best player on the pitch. He was a giant on the pitch. After him, all my other boys were fantastic.”
Jose also addressed the people criticising the Frenchman, by stating: “The specialists will say a lot about him and it comes from envy. They will never ever earn 10 per cent of what he does.”
However, as per Chelsea legend and current BBC football pundit Frank Lampard, it was N’Golo Kante who actually ran the show at Stamford Bridge on Monday. Furthermore, Lampard also went on to describe the former Leicester City star as ‘the best central midfielder in the world’.
Trending Articles:
Reports: Manchester United Enter Race To Sign Arsenal Star Alexis Sanchez
Sergi Roberto’s Winner Against PSG Caused A Microearthquake
Real Madrid Hand Strict Deadline To David De Gea To Decide His Future
Lampard claimed (via ESPN): “I’d go as far to say that he’s the best central midfield player in the world on current form, I really would.
“I’d sort of compared him in my head to Makelele last year, and when he came to Chelsea I thought, ‘Here’s their Makelele,’ but he’s got even more to his game.”
“Looking at the way he’s performing this year, he may not be scoring lots of goals but what he’s giving to the team in the way he’s playing, the driving force that he is, I cannot see anyone else out there in world football better than him at the moment.”
I cannot imagine that Paul Pogba was the best performer for the Chelsea match when he didn’t move an inch to block Ngolo Kante’s shot being just next to him. This is the shot that made the only goal that decided the match. Paul Pogba has to improve his work rate in attempting to win the ball from opponents, instead of just running aimlessly on the pitch. The best player shows true colours when his team does not have the ball, chasing after opponents and forcing opponents to make errors and that includes tackles and blocks. Paul Pogba never does that. I understand why Mou praises Pogba and I respect that he is trying to build him back to his Juventus level. Good optimism. But calling him the best performer when he shot wide at goal from his favourite left foot is like saying Rashford put a star performance when he couldn’t put his shot past Curtois. While I would not blame these youngsters for missing those two chances, I would not give them ‘man-of-the-match’ accolades. This Manchester United. When you play for Manchester United there are high expectationsb and when you fail to meet them, you have a problem. The Manager himself is living up to those expectations but must not accept average performance and praise it.