I've studied Pogba and Koke very thoroughly this season and came up with this conclusion.
Passing:
- Short passing: This one goes to Koke due to a higher level of awareness regarding his close surroundings. He seems to know who is standing right next to him better.
- Long passing: Pogba is the better long passer. His long balls are more consistently accurate.
- Dead ball delivery: Koke. Simply one of the best dead ball specialist out there. 10 of his 15 Assists have come from dead balls.
- Through balls: Pogba plays them more frequently
- Link up play in the final third: Tie. Although I find Pogba a little more creative and hence more exciting, Koke's Link-up play is on par due to his short passing accuracy.
- Crossing: Hard to tell who is better at it, since both have similar accuracy, but Koke does it more often and a huge chunk of his created chances come from crosses.
Verdict: Koke's short passing game seems like a great fit for the more conservative Barca approach. But if Barca want to stick to the more vertical style of play that Enrique has introduced, Pogba might be better suited.
Defending:
- Positioning: Koke is more aware of his surroundings and therefore better positioned, which shows in his higher interception count.
- Tackling: Although Koke is tackling slightly more often, Pogba has a better success rate.
- Clearances: Tie. Both are equally good.
- Aerial Duels: Pogba wins more bacause of his physicality.
- Discipline: Koke is more disciplined overall since his timing is better, but Pogba has less Yellow Cards, since his fouls are less severe.
- Defensive Workrate/Pressing: Koke works harder.
Verdict: Koke is more Xaviesque when it comes to defending. He covers spaces well, due to his smart positioning and his tackles are well timed. Pogba is more physical, he can bully players of the ball more easily. Koke's defensive Style suits Barca better, but Pogba wouldn't be a misfit.
Technique/Game Intelligence:
- Dribbling: Pogba is quite clearly the better dribbler
- Touch: Koke's first touch lets him down less often, but his overall ball control is inferior to Pogba's.
- Awareness: Koke is superior in this regard
- Vision: Tie. Both Players have great footballing vision
- Creativity: Pogba is more creative in my opinion, but this is a difficult attribute to quantify.
- Decision Making: Koke is slightly better
Verdict: Pogba seems to be more technical, which would fit quite well into Barca's style of offensive play, but Koke's awareness make him more suitable defensively.
Goalscoring:
- Shot: Pogba shots are more accurate and dangerous.
- Finishing: While both are not notoriously cold in front of goal, Pogba is the better finisher.
- Offensive Workrate: Pogba works a little harder going forward.
Verdict: Pogba is a greater goal threat, due to his abilities and style of play. This is quite a handy trait, but no necessity for his position.
Final Conclusion:
They are both great players and a joy to watch. They still have a lot of upward trajectory, considering their young age.
If a Xavi replacement is what we are looking for, Koke would be a better fit, since his zonal marking, pressing and short passing are quite similar to Xavi's. He is simply more defensive than Pogba. I would personally still prefer Verrratti, who would be even more like Xavi. Chances of getting him seem very low though.
Pogba would edge more towards Iniesta's Position, but he wouldn't be a one for one Iniesta replacement, the closest thing to Iniesta would probably be Isco. Pogba would be a robust, but less swift attacking threat, that can inflict midfield dominance as well.
I would actually like to see both in our midfield, but if I had to choose I would probably pick Pogba, since I think his ceiling is higher and his style of play would fit Luis Enrique's vertical approach quite well. Paying 70 Million or more for him is a whole other story though and only time will tell if he can ever justify the huge amount he will definitely be going for.
(This analysis is subjective, if you disagree with any point stated or think anything is missing feel free to express so in an intelligent and respectful manner
Visca Barca :barca scarf: )
Nathael
