UEFA Champions League: 3 Reasons Why Juventus Lost To Manchester United

Juventus v Manchester United - UEFA Champions League Group H
Juventus v Manchester United - UEFA Champions League Group H

#2 Juventus miss a Paul Pogba-esque player

Juventus v Manchester United - UEFA Champions League Group H
Juventus v Manchester United - UEFA Champions League Group H

When Paul Pogba left for a then world record sum, Juventus did bring in Miralem Pjanic to help out, but the Bosnian wasn’t and isn't the same type of midfielder as the Frenchman was during his time in Turin. Instead, Pjanic is the deep-lying playmaker, something Andrea Pirlo excelled at during his career for both Juventus and even Italy over the years. However, like Pirlo, Pjanic was also a dead-ball specialist with befuddling goal-keepers with incredible set-pieces. However, despite all that, Juventus never brought in an out and out Pogba replacement.

The Frenchman for all the stick he gets playing for Manchester United is easily one of their best players on his day, as he proved both at Juventus and for France. Time after time, Pogba has shown and proved exactly why Jose Mourinho and Manchester United broke the bank to bring him back, and despite being inconsistent, his quality shines through.

Juventus miss that and today, had to use Juan Cuadrado in a similar position, with the Colombian doing surprisingly well. However, he cannot play there forever and unless Massimiliano Allegri plans to make the 30-year-old change his position, he needs to think for the future. If nothing else, Juventus need to find their next Pogba, a creative and flamboyant midfielder who also happens to be world class star. But then again, those don’t come around too often.

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Edited by Sripad