Manchester United 0-0 Crystal Palace: 5 concerns for Mourinho from the game

#2 United struggle again when Pogba is poor

Manchester United v Crystal Palace - Premier League

Whenever the World Cup winning Frenchman had an off day this season, United have been poor too. It is a shame that the Red Devils are so reliant on Paul Pogba that his absence almost orphans them! There seems to be an absence of other creative outlets on the pitch and this is quite alarming for a team that has been invested so heavily on in the past few seasons.

Arguably, only Juan Mata can match the creative abilities of Pogba, however, the Frenchman is the driving force of this United team. He switches play, defends, and joins the attack at the right moment. His tricks and flips open up the defenses and his cross field passes are a treat to watch. More than that, Pogba has the ability to galvanize the team, to inspire them and instigate them to take the fight to the opposition. Against Palace though, Pogba was very poor and did nothing of any significance. He failed to dictate the midfield and his manager cannot be blamed for hauling him off in the second half.

When Pogba switches off, and he has switched off regularly in games this season, United miss an important character on the field and Mourinho needs to address this. If United are to succeed in this set up, Pogba needs to deliver day in day out and play the full 90 minutes with the same intensity. The fact that this has not been happening will be Mourinho's biggest headache.