Pranav Nair
Manchester United star Paul Pogba caused unrest amongst French campo during Euros defeat
According to L’Equipe journalist Sebastien Tarrago (h/t The Metro), Manchester United star Paul Pogba was involved in an altercation with French teammates and manager during France’s clash against Switzerland.
Pogba scored a world-class goal and was one of Les Bleus better players on the night. He even scored in the penalty shootout but was unable to get his team over the line. The same cannot be said of Adrien Rabiot, who in his defence was asked to play on the left in a non-familiar role. The lack of support from Pogba made his job if anything, harder.
The United star’s error played a role in Switzerland’s equalizer on the night. Both Rabiot and Benjamin Pavard were left unimpressed with Pogba’s lack of defensive contribution.
“They insulted each other very often. Pogba was at the centre of the game. There was notably an altercation with Rabiot.
Pavard felt he was left high and dry by Pogba and complained to Raphael Varane regarding the same. Being intimated of this did not go down well with Pogba. It is fair to say that this internal conflict was not the best way to go into extra time.
“Pavard was reprimanded by [Raphael] Varane. He [Pavard] replied, ‘you’re right but I’m all alone and Pogba doesn’t give a damn’. Varane then went to tell Pogba, who then asked Pavard if he had a problem with him. And this all happened during the match.”
Lack of game management
According to the report, there was tension between Pogba and France manager Didier Deschamps. The latter was keen to see out the game at 3-1 only for the former to disagree and adopt an attacking stance. It is fair to say that the Red Devils star got his priorities wrong.
“Deschamps requested for the team to be secure to keep the result at 3-1. But the midfielder thought he had to keep attacking. In short, this meeting was very tense and from all points of view.”
This unrest also appears to have spilt to the stands. Adrien Rabiot’s mother, Veronique, has also been accused of clashing with the families of Pogba and Kylian Mbappe who were all sitting in the stands. Mbappe missed a number of opportunities and also missed the decisive penalty in the shootout.
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According to Manchester Evening News, Pogba admitted before the Euros that he thrives in an attacking role. While that may be true, his lack of defensive nous has cost the whole team dear. It is fair to say that the allegations do not show Pogba in good light.
