Arsenal captain defends Man United star, surprises everyone!!
Oct 6, 2016 at 12:37 PM
Arsenal captain Laurent Koscielny has defended his international team-mate Paul Pogba and claimed that he should be left alone so that he can improve at his new club.
The 23-year-old superstar has failed to live up to his £89m price tag so far this season and has faced criticism over his disappointing displays.
The spotlight has been firmly trained on the midfielder since his world record transfer to Manchester United from Juventus in the summer.
He sparkled on his debut against Southampton at Old Trafford and scored his first goal against Leicester last month, but has turned in some inconsistent displays – not entirely surprising given the Frenchman’s involvement at Euro 2016 and protracted transfer saga left him without a pre-season.
But Laurent Koscielny, who plays alongside the former Juventus No.10 for France’s national team, believes the powerful midfielder is being unfairly targeted.
He said: ‘Because of his transfer and his status, we demand a lot from Paul Pogba. We’ve got to leave him in peace so he can progress.’
The 23-year-old midfield star has been called up by his country for a home clash with Bulgaria on Friday night and then a potential meeting with Daley Blind and Memphis Depay when France visit the Netherlands on Monday.
Pogba’s lacklustre beginning to the season was attributed to many factors. Some said he just wasn’t that great, to begin with, others blamed Jose Mourinho for playing him out of position and, for that matter, selecting Marouane Fellaini in the same midfield.
There is no doubt that Pogba’s most recent performances in the Premier League, during the win over Leicester and the draw with Stoke, he has shown a marked upturn in form.
Pairing Pogba with the industrious Ander Herrera, while opting for Juan Mata in the No.10 role at the expense of Wayne Rooney, has improved both him and the balance of the entire team.
One other aspect that might be worth mentioning is that during his four seasons at Juventus, Pogba comprised a midfield with the likes of Andrea Pirlo, Claudio Marchisio, Arturo Vidal and Sami Khedira.
With all due respect to Herrera, Fellaini, Michael Carrick and Morgan Schneiderlin, the gulf in class is astronomical.
While in Italy, Pogba was never put in a position where he was being asked to either anchor or set the tempo of a team and, when considering his relatively meagre years, the immediate change in stature could well be unsettling.