Manuel Pellegrini's men had many issues on the night
but Pogba's class, and City's midfield struggles, were so evident you
cannot help but think the Frenchman is the solution
Sometimes when you watch a football match, you don't have to be a seasoned scout to notice the perfect player for a certain club. You don't have to have been to thousands of games across Europe, working closely with world-class coaches, to try to identify a hidden talent. Sometimes it's just plain to see.
Watching Paul Pogba play against Manchester City was one of those occasions. Everybody knows who he is, everybody knows what he can do, and almost everybody knows City have been interested in his services.
If they needed any further convincing of his talents, this was it. He not only put in a classy performance, it just happened to show up what City are lacking in their midfield.
Pogba's contribution was not defining - Mario Mandzukic scored the winner and there were all manner of saves and misses which contributed to a 1-0 scoreline - but he was a big talking point in the build-up to this clash and he may well have persuaded City took have another look next summer, no matter the price.
City, in truth, lacked a lot on the night. The full-backs, Bacary Sagna and the returning Gael Clichy, had poor games and Nicolas Otamendi would have been caught out for three goals if it were not for Joe Hart's contribution. Instead, the Argentine was only at fault for one, as he was caught square to his goal and was brushed off by Mandzukic for the winner.
Fernandinho should have scored before Mandzukic opened the scoring, Gianluigi Buffon kept out Fernando with a wonder save, and Raheem Sterling somehow missed with the goal at his mercy. Sergio Aguero looked rusty when presented with chances of his own.
One key issue was a lack of spark in midfield. The trio that worked so perfectly in Sevilla failed to click here, and too often City could not pick a way through the Juventus defence, or were left exposed as Juve broke away.
More often than not, it was Pogba who led the charge. After Fernandinho's miss it was the Frenchman who burst forward, covering a good 40 yards of turf. His simple ball out wide allowed Alex Sandro to pick out Mandzukic.
Those kind of driving runs from Pogba were common in the first hour. In the run up to the game a lot of the talk, especially in Italy, was of how the youngster stacks up against Yaya Toure. On this evidence, there was only one winner.
The younger man burst past Toure, and his City team-mates, on a number of occasions. He showed a range of passing that added variety to Juve's game and displayed the battling, rangy nature that has earned comparisons to Patrick Vieira.
It is, in truth, an unfair battle. Toure is 10 years Pogba's senior, his best days, as excellent as they were, are most likely behind him.
Pogba showed he is capable of deft skill, too. With City lacking a cutting edge through the middle, his delightful backheel on the edge of the box during the first half was striking.
His game was made up of moments like this. He may not have set up a goal or found the net himself, and his contribution did drop off towards the end of the clash, but he did more than enough to show his quality.
The No.10 shirt he has inherited at Juve has weighed heavily on him at times this season but he has recovered in recent weeks and here, in a big match for his club, he was impressive again.
Toure came close to leaving City earlier this year and his exit is still on the cards come the end of the season.
Pogba, it seemed, came close to joining Barcelona in the summer and it is said City baulked at Juventus' asking price. It has also been claimed that an English club saw a bid of €80 million rejected.
But he seems destined for the top and one club will have to fork out for his services. City, who spent around £150m on three players this summer and look destined to splash out again on their top targets, may well have to take the plunge, if only to stop either Real Madrid or Barca moving further ahead of them with the Frenchman in their ranks.
The Blues would have secured top spot with victory here, a sure fire sign of their progress in Europe. Instead they will likely finish second and City fans will tell you a last-16 clash with Barca is now inevitable.
There are many reasons why City failed on the night and many reasons why they are not yet ready to reach the Champions League final. They are a very good team, should be regarded as favourites for the Premier League title, but this summer's signings should only be regarded as the beginning of a much-needed squad overhaul.
No comments:
Post a Comment