Changing position is a common challenge for football players. Whether its a midfielder dropping into a defensive role, a winger being asked to fill in at full-back, or a striker being told to play in a deeper or wider position… But which footballer thrived after changing positions. Have your say!
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Experts of last DAILY TOPIC: In retrospect, is returning to Man United a right decision for Pogba?
Returning to Manchester United was the right decision for Pogba, but not under José Mourinho, I feel.
Mourinho is a stubborn man with a very set style of play; he plays all of his attackers and most of his midfielders in a very defensive, rather physical and aggressive role. Pogba, on the other hand, is an attacking midfielder with a creative knack and he is good at running through the midfield and attacking, rather than act like a controlling midfielder like Mourinho wants him to be. Especially with the arrival of Sanchez, who is also an attacking and creative player and likes to roam around a lot, Pogba's place in the lineup in his position of choice may get redundant.
I don't think Pogba likes the thought of playing second fiddle to Alexis Sanchez either, and that is seriously hindering his focus on the game and his relationship with Mourinho and the team. He is one of the best players in the EPL though and should be played in his natural position at least lest his game gets worse and his attacking nature gets wasted.
His choice of coming to United was natural; who doesn't want to join their boyhood club when they come calling for him, and that too at a (then) world record fee? Pogba is one of the best players in Manchester United, and I don't think he should leave United just yet, or that United should let him go. I think Mourinho should eat his pride for once and stop playing Pogba so defensively. He should engage in discussions with Pogba and reach a compromise with him with respect to his duties in the game.
It was 100% the best decision for him. He was looking to excel his career and you CAN NOT stay in Serie A and expect that to be the case. EPL is the #1 league hands down. It should be every footballer's goal to make their way there. Unfortunately, sometimes a managers style of play may not mesh well with their players, which is what is going on in this case.
Mourhino really needs to make Pogba feel comfortable again and find a style/position that HE is happy to play. Not force your own coaching style on every single player. Pep does this beautifully, he has a specific system in place but players like KDB are still able to play freely and make magic happen. This is the type of player Pogba is and needs to be.
This was the best move for his career and anyone who’s says leaving Juve was a mistake is dead wrong.
At that point, to return to MU was a great idea for Pogba. When we look at this from today's view, from this perspective that decision was wrong on so many levels. The problem is not MU club itself but this problem is just too deep. The major problem why this problem is even issue is Mourinho. He is just not capable to use full playing potential and capacity from Pogba, he can't recognize Pogba's needs, he is forcing wrong tactics and wrong playing position on Pogba where he is lost, limited in Mourinho's tactics. Pogba is player who needs space to develop his creativity and effectiveness but Mourinho is keeping killing his beauty of the game.
We Will never know, what would happen if Pogba didn't return to MU but retrospectively that was the wrong decision because it left significant mark on his career, sadly negative mark. Maybe things will get better for Pogba but for that to happen, Mourinho would have to change his tactics and this is veeeeery unlikely, we all know how stubborn Mourinho is. At this point, I think the best possible thing for Pogba's future football career would be to leave MU because that relationship Pogba-Mourinho can't work for mutual benefit. Sadly, this is not just Pogba's problem, this problem could have Alexis Sanchez too because he is also a type of player who absolutely needs enough space on the pitch to show his brilliant talent, he is very creative but this creativity can't be effective i. wrong playing tactics!
Abdelfattah47
98
Antonio Valencia has been a very vital part for Jose Mourinho's side Manchester United since shifting his transition being a winger to full back. Captain Valencia has been very solid at the back earning praise from Mourinho as, "one of best right backs in the world". Indeed. He has performed brilliantly this season, notching three goals, a stunner against Everton which won goal of the month at MU, a decisive goal against Arsenal which helped United win 3-1 & his left foot strike against Stoke which also won United goal of the month . Aside, the Ecuadorian powerhouse has been so tough when it comes to defensive, his tackling & pace makes him hard for an opponent to get past him. His performance speaks for itself with United being regarded to be one of the fewer teams In the top five leagues to concede fewer goals.
nandiniD10S
60
There's two, actually, who I remember as being absolutely phenomenal after their positions were changed. The first one is Gareth Bale, Real Madrid's top class winger. It is often forgotten that Bale actually used to play largely as a left back when he started his career in Tottenham and Southampton! Then came that career-defining match when he scored a hat-trick in San Siro, in which introduced himself as a left winger. When he moved to Real Madrid, the left wing spot was already occupied by Cristiano Ronaldo, so Bale had to change positions AGAIN, and finally, he established himself as one of the world's finest right-wingers. The other player who deserves a mention is Javier Mascherano, who used to play as a CDM for Liverpool and Barcelona, until Barcelona introduced Sergio Busquets into the squad in Mascherano's position. Masche was then moved to the centre back position. Many people were sceptical about this move but he proved all the doubters wrong and established himself as a starting centre-back alongside Pique and made Barça's defence impenetrable with his amazing sliding tackles and profound judgement.
Dar Danish
19
Cristiano Ronaldo It is quite fitting that due to the presence of Raul, Ronaldo was unable to take his favoured No.7 shirt when he joined Real Madrid and instead spent his debut campaign at the Bernabeu wearing the No.9.After first coming to prominence on the wing, Sir Alex Ferguson was eventually left with no choice but to push Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez out wide to accommodate Ronaldo as a central striker.The duo shouldn’t look back in anger given Ronaldo has now scored 605 career goals for club and country.
rmcfc9
18
I feel like this position change wasn't dramatic for the player, but still important nonetheless. Eden Hazard switching from a winger to a attacking mid and possible forward. it has developed him into a versatile player, and gives him more opportunities to prove his worth. it helped Chelsea win the premier league, and allows others players to be assisted by him more easily. hazard has created a signature cut in and it never would've happened if he stayed on the outside. he is able to control the game more and be more of a leader at the middle, and it has dramatically changed Chelsea. he has become an even better player and is one of the best talents in the premier league that could be sold for hundreds of millions of dollars. His new versatility will give any team he plays for an important attacker that will help them succeed no matter where he plays.
Seybel
11
A talented but distinctly average forward, Victor Moses started the 16/17 season as nothing more than a squad player, having failed to light up many, or any, games in a Chelsea shirt since signing for the club in 2013, and struggling to win a place in the first XI. Loan spells at West Ham and Stoke failed to suggest Moses was destined for anything other than providing the occasional bit of flair in a team doomed to mid-table mediocrity, until a new manager with a different way of thinking changed everything. Since Antonio Conte's switch of tactical system after a 3-0 defeat to Arsenal , Moses has been an indispensable member of his Premier League winning XI. Moses, in the English Premier League this season has made 18 appearances,scoring one goal, creating 10 chances and one assist. He also featured in the champions league twice. Moses has completed 423 passes this season with a pass accuracy of 80%, of which 62% were forward passes.
Ajmal7
10
Arsenal signed Henry in a club-record deal from Juventus in 1999, with the France international arriving as a tricky winger who had struggled to make an impact in Serie A. Arsene Wenger make a change in position for Henry in striker position . Henry said , “At a certain point, I wanted to go to Wenger and tell him to put me back out wide ” reflecting on a period when he failed to score in his first seven Premier League appearances. The perfect lesson for Henry went on to score 228 goals in 376 games for the Gunners. He went on becoming the greatest scorer in Arsenal and Premier League.