United’s recent world record-breaking re-signing of Paul Pogba makes a statement of intent, but we discuss why Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City won’t panic.
Picture the scene: Pep Guardiola sits quietly in his Manchester study, fingers interlocked, staring into space. Mrs Guardiola and the kids peak through the crack in the door, he’s been like that for hours and they are starting to get worried. “It’s because of that Jose Mourinho guy”, one whispers to another. “Yeah, he’s always getting the best players and ruining papa’s plans”. “Who this time?” “Oh some guy called Paul Pogba or something…” with the mere sound of that name, Pep breaks down into uncontrollable sobs, rocking himself in the fetal position as the kids run in fright.
Now if all that sounds a bit overly dramatic, that’s because it is. Yet this exact scene is precisely how the Manchester City manager is envisaged by many United fans right now, following Pogba’s re-signing for his old Academy club under world record transfer fee conditions. Pep must be bricking it, what with his old nemesis Mourinho now being, seemingly, the team to beat in the title race.
The reality, of course, is much different.
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The rivalry between Mourinho and Guardiola is both real, yet largely overplayed by a media hungry to fuel the competition and generate paper sells and clicks. True, the two have a history, but such things are easy to maintain in the comforts of the two-horse race of La Liga. El Classico is big, but the Premier League is much more than a clash of two titans, or even three or four. In their inaugural seasons, both Pep and Jose know too much is at stake to reignite old flames and they will both likely put concentration on achieving the ultimate prize.
As for Pogba, I don’t think there’s reason to suggest Guardiola will be concerned at all. In fact, I’m not sure any of United’s acquisitions will cause any sleepless nights. Eric Bailly, according to reports this week, was offered to City last season but they turned him down. Statistically there’s little to suggest he’s anything more than a fair-to-middling defender with an overpriced figure strapped to his skull. Zlatan Ibrahimovic may well still have the goal scoring knack, but at 35 he is a rental playing on borrowed time. Henrikh Mkhitaryan will likely be a solid acquisition, but isn’t head and shoulders above others in the position in the league.
Pogba, on the other hand, is world-class. His disappointing Euros aside, Pogba never fails to impress on the pitch with his quality that shines even at 23. We can all laugh, I certainly do, at United’s obscene investment in a player they let go for almost nothing, but Pogba is unquestionably a rare talent that, in today’s market, justifies the cost.
All the same, it’s expecting a lot for one Paul Pogba to transform a previously mediocre United into a world-class one. Pogba may be among the best midfielders in the game, but, Manchester City themselves have many in their squad who could fit into that bracket and the most important thing yet remains how well the team are able to gel and play together. This, if anything, could be Pogba’s weakest point.
Pogba’s 12 assists and 8 goals in 33 appearances in the Serie A last year are impressive, but behind that front statistics show a player more greedy than his primary position at central midfield normally permits. In all, he averaged 1.5 key passes per game compared to an average 3.5 shots per game. Compared to say, Kevin De Bruyne, averaging 3.2 key passes and 2 shots per game last season respectively, you see a player with more an eye for goal than an eye for creativity.
All that’s somewhat unimportant though. Pogba isn’t a Pep player, that much is for certain, but this doesn’t hold true at all for Jose who stood alone in his unrelenting pursuit of the Frenchman. United have been strengthened with the arrival of Pogba, but Manchester City haven’t stood still this transfer window. Pep picked his players and City moved to acquire them, currently spending more overall than United have. Their names may not carry the same weight as Pogba, but then you have to believe that Guardiola probably knows what he’s doing, given his penchant for building successful football teams is borderline unrivalled.
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In short, there’s so much quality available for Manchester City that it seems unlikely Pep is put off by Pogba’s homecoming to United. This comes with the territory of playing at the top-level and his track record for making his players rise to the occasion precedes him. We are in for an exciting campaign this year with a number of top teams out to make their mark. Just don’t bet against Manchester City being the team to actually do it.