Forget about Pogba, and other commentary

No doubt Paul Pogba is one of the most talented footballers in the world, but the game is about much more than just skill. If it wasn’t, players like Mesut Ozil would still be playing for a top club in one of the big four leagues instead of wasting away in obscurity for a club in Turkey. Call me unprofessional, maybe so, but you know who else is unprofessional, Paul Pogba.

It’s fine to want to play to make money and go to the highest bidder to ensure you get paid exactly what you feel you are worth but making that kind of money comes with big expectations. Let’s face it since Pogba left Juventus for Manchester United, he has regressed instead of getting better. We are talking about a player who is now in his prime years. Whatever club signs him would essentially be taking a risk by giving him one more chance at a big club for a mega payday, and Juventus should not be that club.Whether you like it or not, Max Allegri is here to stay. He is under contract for a huge salary and an enormous amount of money that would make him one of the highest-paid on Juventus’ payroll, and for this reason, he is going nowhere. I’m positive management, led by Andrea Agnelli, has already had that internal discussion of what happens if the results are stagnating.

The fan base is fuming that progress isn’t being made thus bringing into question why you would bring back a manager you kicked out the door when deciding to go into a new direction. Juventus view Allegri’s second term as if it was Conte’s first and it’s a whole new project with a long-term timetable with no pressure to win the Scudetto.

For this reason, I expect Allegri to go nowhere, except maybe if Juventus don’t finish inside the top four. I don’t think it was even mentioned what would happen if they lose top-four status and everything that comes with it. If Juve maintains their position, then I expect Allegri to stay as he put it in the Coppa Italia post-match press conference, he’s here to stay for “the next three years”.

Hats off to Bernadeschi, it was a good performance that saw him score a technical and impressive goal. That was his best performance since the epic UEFA Champions League second-leg win at home against Atletico Madrid, which saw him provide key service to Cristiano Ronaldo and win a penalty that ended up winning Juve the tie. That match was also over three years ago, a sign of how inconsistent the player is.

I looked up his Juventus stats and I was shocked to learn he has made over 178 appearances for Juventus. That’s incredible but what isn’t incredible is the number of goals he’s scored in that time, which is only 12. With his expectations when he was purchased by the club, that’s not even close to enough for the club to even consider offering him a new deal, especially when you consider the fact that Chiesa, who came over on loan (soon to be purchased), from the same club Fiorentina, has 18 goals in 61 appearances. For this reason, I say don’t be fooled by Bernardeschi.