This is a big shirt. For those that know football, being given a particular shirt is very important and does have psychological influence upon you. Just like the captain's armband that has enhanced and shrunk players who have had to wear it. The very fact that Allegri is giving Pogba this shirt, is a sign that he wants Paul Jeremiah to enter into a new phase in his career and finally come into his element and be the defining factor of Juventus and even the face of the team.
I still hold in the view and I hope I am not wrong in viewing Pogba as a future best player in the world or at least amongst the top three. At a young age, he has all the tools and assets of a complete central midfielder and a command as well as an understanding of the position that you see in veterans. That is not something you can teach a player, they either have IT or they don't. For the past few seasons, I have been waiting for him to finally take that leap and really become that incredible players that we all know that he can be, but I have to remind myself not to mess with biology and let him continue to develop naturally. You don't want to rush things, and that then leads to the player deteriorating and it being a great loss to football.
It was an ideal scenario for Paul. Working with one of the greatest central midfielders of all time in Andrea and playing alongside the titan that is Arturo. This was the ideal environment for him to learn and develop, hone his skills and as I have reminded people, Pogba has gotten better with every season that has past and has shown just what an incredible player that he could be in the future. Everything was oh so perfect...and when things just seem too right, bad things happen.
To lose both Pirlo and Vidal is not only tragic for Juventus but also for Pogba. It now means he has lost two great players that he has been learning from, and now he now has to be the general of an entire midfield, because it is pretty safe to say that apart from Buffon and maybe Chiellini, he is now Juventus's most talented player. Allegri realized this, and I don't know how much resistance he had in trying to block Vidal from going, but he knew that he had to give Pogba that shirt and pretty much tell him without having to utter the words that he is now the main star of the team and it should really be built around him now.
Pogba now having this shirt, will and SHOULD change his mindset. He is no longer just the talented young player alongside other talents. He is the Del Piero of Juventus, but I don't even like using that term and people should be themselves and not try and copy or even emulate others. But he is now THE guy for Juventus, and he has to realize that and approach every game knowing that dudes like Lichtsteiner, Dybala, Chiellini, Evra and others will be looking for him when they have the ball. Just like Zidane in that 2006 World Cup, Pogba has to be demand the ball and expect to receive it and start to DEFINE how Juventus play. He has to now become the playmaker and game-changer of the team because that is what a number ten does. Those that don't follow football or don't understand just see it as a shirt number, a simple statistic so that the referee knows who he booked. For those that are in the know, the shirt means everything. Where the number nine is the main striker, the number ten is the dude that makes things happen and gets the team moving.
It is time for Pogba to step into the limelight and show that he can lead this team without having the help of Vidal and Pirlo.
HH
