Real Madrid: 3 ways Paul Pogba would help Los Blancos

Starting attacks

Real Madrid need players in midfield who can get the ball up the pitch quickly into dangerous areas, as the sharpness at the beginning of their build-up play was often lacking. They would often fall into the trap of threading aimless passes together, and it generally seemed like only Eden Hazard and Isco were providing an impetus to drive the game forward.

Paul Pogba plays chess in midfield. He sees the whole pitch like few others in the world can, threading passes with accuracy that would make potential future teammate Toni Kroos impressed.

The Manchester United star regularly averages more than 60 passes per game and 1.5 key passes per game, per WhoScored.com, and it would be downright unfair to have two playmakers like Kroos and Pogba on the same squad.

But Pogba is far from a carbon copy of Kroos as a playmaker. He’s one of the best dribblers of his generation in center midfield. In his first two seasons with the Red Devils, the 27-year-old averaged 2.4 and 2.8 dribbles per game, respectively. He was even more prolific in this regard at Juventus.

And since Juve were Champions League title contenders and United are Europa League minnows, Pogba’s stats at Juve may be more representative of the freedom he’d have with superior teammates at Real Madrid.

Pogba can be a nightmare at starting attacks, quickly shifting into counterattacks, and linking up with the likes of Hazard and Karim Benzema. His intelligence and technical quality directly translate into production for his teammates.