PAUL POGBA STRUGGLED to find an explanation for France’s dismal performance in the wake of their 2-0 defeat against Turkey in Euro 2020 qualification.
Goals in the first half from Kaan Ayhan and Cengiz Under brought no response from Les Bleus, who failed to muster a single shot on target in 90 minutes despite the star quality of players such as Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappe at the Torku Arena.
The defeat sees Turkey go three points clear at the top of Group H after handing Didier Deschamps’ men their third defeat in almost 15 months.
Pogba claims he cannot recall a time when his side struggled to make an impact on a game in such a manner, telling L’Equipe following the game: “We were ready, we knew it was going to be a high-level match and that the fans would be pushing them [Turkey] on.
“We could not make the simplest passes, so we were not dangerous in front of goal. I don’t remember the last time we were so bad. We have to think and find the solution or find the answer. We need a reaction as soon as possible, from the next match.”
Nine of the 11 players who started France’s World Cup final win over Croatia made the starting line-up on Saturday, with only N’Golo Kante and Lucas Hernandez missing out as they were replaced by Moussa Sissoko and Lucas Digne.
The World Cup holders’ next match comes in the form of minnows Andorra, who have won just two competitive matches since 2004 – against Macedonia that year and Hungary in 2017.
Andorra currently sit bottom of Group H with three defeats and no goals to their name after playing Iceland, Albania and Moldova, but Pogba knows France must improve from their Turkey showing or risk a further upset on Tuesday evening.
“It was a day where we tried the simplest passes that did not work,” the Manchester United midfielder added. “As soon as we concede an opportunity, it’s a goal. With the ball, we are not dangerous, we do not even have a shot at goal.”
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I got clubs most improved player at under 12s surely I must be expectating a 6 figure salary in china
€14000 Euro is about 101k Chinese Yuan so you could probably earn that teaching English over there if you accepted an offer as a teacher. Can you afford to turn down a six figure sum like that?
if that lad is worth 20m a year, i am surely worth the avg industrial wage am i ?
I had trials with Monaghan Utd, EMFA, Home Farm Everton and Newcastle West AFC once upon a time like…….
@Liam Dunne: ah he is ☺ juventus will be delighted to hear about him cheering them on.
What a waste of talent, this is going to be. This kid can and should be playing for one of the great european sides. Instead he has gone to chase cash in the Chinese Football pub league
If someone came along and offered you insane money to go to china to to your everyday job,you wouldn’t be interested?
The only reason those European teams are great is because they have the financial clout to go out and buy the best players available to them. What’s happening now is a long overdue case of what goes around comes around.
He went to Zenit for a big wage also, this lad has always put money first!
He’ll be able to look after his family for generations. In 60 years time that will be more important than whether he played a game for an Italian or a Chinese team.
The epitome of the modern day footballer, this youngster. Here’s a player regularly in the first XI of a nation that spent about a year in the top 2 of the FIFA rankings, who has only ever played in the Belgian, Portuguese and Russian leagues. And now he’s off to China.
His ambition is questionable at best, and his love of vast wealth not under any doubt. He went to Zenit for 40 million, so his family can’t be short a few bob.
How long before Continho goes ….
Old news this
Really? He signed 2 hours ago.
Fair play to him. A couple of years in China on mega money and return back to Europe.