Manchester United Fan View: Zlatan Ibrahimovic shows Paul Pogba how to be a talisman

During Manchester United’s recent nine game winning run Paul Pogba suddenly started to show just how much of a colossus he will, hopefully, be for the club, linking up deliciously with Michael Carrick and Ander Herrera, while taking games by the scruff of the neck and always looking to get on the ball and link up play.

Against Liverpool on Sunday, Pogba was supposed to put in a display that instantly swatted away his critics, especially since he struggled against Manchester City, Liverpool, and Chelsea, and he was just adequate when Arsenal and Tottenham visited Old Trafford. But instead he just provided them with more ammunition, as he found himself erratically off the pace in the highly fraught and contested encounter. There were a whole host of problems with Pogba’s display. He lagged behind at corners, tried to overcompensate and complicate when he was on the ball, struggled to find or create space and brush aside Liverpool’s nagging pressure, and lacked the necessary composure when he was actually in dangerous positions, too.

As this was the world’s most expensive player in front of the Old Trafford faithful against United’s most bitterest of rivals, Pogba was always going to be shellacked even if he put a solitary foot wrong. So considering that he gave away a penalty with a ludicrous double hand-ball, was constantly left for dead at corners by Dejan Lovren, scuffed his shot wide when put clean-through, and seemed harried, agitated, and panicked whenever he was in possession, the daggers were out for him even before the final whistle was blown.

Thankfully for Pogba Zlatan Ibrahimovic emerged to save his blushes. It was hardly the Swede’s most impressive display for United, too, as he never seemed to be in the right place at the right time, with United’s overlapping runners doing more damage while Zlatan kept Liverpool’s defence pre-occupied simply with his presence.

But as has been said about many a great striker over the years, Zlatan Ibrahimovic did nothing in the game except score. This one was a vital equaliser, as it extended United’s unbeaten run to sixteen games, and maintained their momentum for a Champions League place. It was a fantastic header, too. Not just because it came seconds after Maraouane Fellaini had struck the post and turned Old Trafford into a frenzy. (Everyone except for Ibra that is). But because Valencia’s cross was too low, and Ibra had to manoeuvre his head and somehow power his neck muscles to loop the ball over Simon Mignolet and beyond Trent Alexander-Arnold on the line, too.

Zlatan’s patience was his virtue. Because while Paul Pogba fluffed his one-clear chance and then spent the rest of the game trying to over zealously make up for it, Zlatan Ibrahimovic remained calm, effective and composed throughout the contest, before pouncing and gobbling his up like a true talisman.

It was also his 14^th Premier League goal of the season, and only Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Dwight Yorke (15) have scored more for United after their first 20 Premier League games. Let’s not forget the circumstances that Zlatan has scored his under, though, as Yorke scored his in the season that United went on to win the treble, Van Nistelrooy’s came after United had just won three league titles on the bounce, while Zlatan has scored goal after goal in a United side that won just one game out of eight between September 24^th and December 11^th and is in sixth place and now 12 points off league leaders Chelsea.

In less than six months Zlatan Ibrahimovic has lifted and provided inspiration for Manchester United, while Paul Pogba’s contributions against Liverpool were a reminder that he’s still got some learning to do, temperament to control, and a talismanic presence to fill. Thankfully the 23-year-old just needs to look a little further up the Old Trafford field for guidance on how to reach such heights.