Pogba has too much quality – Evra

Paul Pogba’s biggest problem is that he has too much natural ability, according to Juventus team-mate Patrice Evra.

The France international has developed into a leading figure at the heart of the Serie A champions’ midfield, especially following the departures of Arturo Vidal and Andrea Pirlo at the end of last season.

Pogba has previously hailed Evra as an important figure in his emergence as one of European football’s most coveted talents over the past three seasons, and the veteran left-back has offered the 22-year-old further advice to stop him becoming frustrated when he makes a rare mistake.

“Pogba’s problem is that he has too much quality,” Evra explained to La Gazzetta dello Sport. “When he makes a mistake he gets frustrated because everyone thinks a player of his calibre can’t make a mistake.

“I always tell him to remain calm, work hard and listen to [head coach Massimiliano] Allegri. He always asked for the ball against Bayern Munich. We need people like that, but when he makes a mistake people only focus on that. We must let him work in peace.”

Juve head to the Allianz Arena on Wednesday for the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie with Bayern Munich, having fought back from two goals down to force a 2-2 draw in Turin.

Evra believes that result means Bayern will have an increased respect for last season’s finalists and has urged his side to approach the game with the right mentality.

“I don’t think they fear us but they certainly have more respect for us and will play in a different manner,” he said. “We must take advantage of that.

“I think that it showed us we can compete with Bayern. We were too cautious in the first 20 minutes. If we take the field and believe we can win 1-0 then we will do so, but if we think it will end 5-0 it is over.

“It is a question of mentality and we now know that Bayern are vulnerable. We aren’t being arrogant as we respect our opponent but we can’t forget we made the final last season. Everyone thinks that Juventus are already beaten, but we don’t believe that is the case.”

Juve are just three points ahead of Napoli at the top of the table as they pursue a fifth Serie A title in a row, but Evra claims he pays no attention to the results of Maurizio Sarri’s side.

“When I hear people say our wins are in response to Napoli, that makes me laugh,” he added. “I haven’t thought about Napoli and don’t look at the results as my only focus is on Juve. Every win pushes us forward towards another.”