With his two stunning goals and humble reaction, Paul Pogba sums up why Juventus are still Scudetto favourites, argued Susy Campanale.
The stage was set for Juventus to drop points in Turin, as they welcomed an on-form Udinese, but more importantly were without stars such as Andrea Pirlo, Claudio Marchisio, Kwadwo Asamoah and Giorgio Chiellini. Would they suffer another upset and prove how much they need old midfield hands? Instead, the Old Lady flourished by giving attention to a very young man, 19-year-old Paul Pogba.
A star was truly born on Saturday evening under the snow, white flakes falling on to the curiously bleached Mohican. Maybe it was the go-faster stripes on his head, but the French teen seemed to be going at a different pace to everyone around him. That’s not to mention the pace of the ball that he smacked in off the underside of the crossbar, which was clocked at 101km/h. Yet Pogba isn’t afraid to slow down, as straight after netting a fantastic brace he quite happily accepted a likely return to the bench next time out.
Pogba is the perfect representation of why Juventus are still the Scudetto favourites. He is the ultimate strength in depth, the kind of player who can be introduced at any moment and ensure the first choice figures are not missed. He also arrived on a free transfer from Manchester United, matching Pirlo in terms of a spectacular bargain.
Juve fans had nothing to fear against Udinese, because Antonio Conte and co have planned for these eventualities by investing in talented players while keeping the books balanced. That is The Pogba Paradigm.