Selling Paul Pogba Hands Juventus a Chance to Evolve and Improve

It seems it is simply a matter of if, not when, Paul Pogba joins Manchester United. All summer long, talk of the France midfielder returning to Old Trafford has raged on relentlessly, despite repeated but cryptic denials from both the player and his agent, Mino Raiola.

Journalist = parrots No deal done between Clubs Its a game between Italy press and UK press who announce it first and who is worse.

— Mino Raiola (@MinoRaiola) July 29, 2016

“No deal done between clubs,” the representative tweeted on July 29, while also insulting journalists for racing to “announce it first.” That came the day after it was reported by Sky Italia (h/t Football Italia) that a €110 million (£93.3 million) transfer was merely hours away from being announced.

While it is clearly just part of the manner in which such high-stakes modern transfers are conducted, it has detracted from the superb summer Juventus have already had on the market.

The Fantastic Four! ? #FinoAllaFine #ForzaJuve pic.twitter.com/xs0IRPa3ga

— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) July 28, 2016

The likes of Gonzalo Higuain, Dani Alves, Miralem Pjanic and Medhi Benatia have been added to a squad that was already well-stocked, meaning that the Bianconeri will thrive even if Pogba does move on.

That matter was discussed at length in this previous post, but there are also distinct tactical advantages to be had in a side without the 23-year-old. In his absence, coach Massimiliano Allegri would arguably have even more licence to be creative in terms of team selection and formation.

There is little doubting Pogba’s ability, but as UEFA Euro 2016 proved, he also needs a specific formation around him if he is to shine. At Juve, he was almost exclusively fielded on the left of a three-man midfield, a position from where he could decide how best to influence a given match.

His running on the ball, shooting and passing all appeared markedly better in that role, with the graphic above showing the position Pogba was most often deployed in over each of the past two seasons.

Last season, following the exit of Arturo Vidal and Roberto Pereyra’s constant injury woes—the latter suffering a series of knocks that limited him to just 13 Serie A appearances—Pogba was often the most attack-minded midfielder in Allegri’s starting XI.

The Pjanic signing means that is no longer the case. Figures from WhoScored.com show that only nine players in Italy’s top flight managed more passes per game than the Bosnian midfielder during …

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