Pogba patient after another Juventus blank

Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri said he was expecting "a lot" from Paul Pogba on the eve of the game against Borussia Mönchengladbach. The French midfielder did not lead the Bianconeri to victory but nobody can say it was not for the lack of trying.

In a tight affair at the Juventus Stadium, the 22-year-old had the only two shots on target of the entire game but was denied by Yann Sommer on both occasions. He also had four of Juventus's nine shots off target and only centre-back Leonardo Bonucci had more attempted passes than him. With one of those, a superb chip, Pogba fashioned an excellent chance for Álvaro Morata but the striker took a touch too many and allowed Andreas Christensen to recover.

"This is football," Pogba told UEFA.com. "We have had many chances tonight but the ball did not go in. Sometimes you try and try and the ball doesn't want to go in, sometimes you score with every shot. I need patience, I just need to work and train hard, I hope a goal will arrive soon. I think we played a good game as a team, we attacked a lot and didn't take any risks at the back."

Juventus are still top of Group D, one point ahead of Manchester City and four clear of third-placed Sevilla. "Everything would have been much easier for us with a victory," Pogba added. "It's not done yet, we must just think about next games and be really focused because it won't be easy."

©Getty Images

Things have never been easy for Pogba this term. Recently shortlisted for the FIFA Ballon d'Or for his great performances last season, he was given even bigger responsibilities this term when influential midfielders like Andrea Pirlo and Arturo Vidal left Juve. He was not scared to accept the burden inheriting the famed No10 jersey from Carlos Tévez. "Ten is just a number," Pogba explained. "If I'd scored a goal tonight, nobody would've asked me about the number."

Pogba has scored only one goal in Serie A so far this season – a penalty – and is yet to find the net in the UEFA Champions League. "This is a period in which he has to find himself and start doing the simple things again, the ones he knows how to do so well," Allegri said on the eve of the match. "He is an important player for Juventus, a player who has to give us a great deal."

Did he pass the Allegri exam this time around? Not completely yet. "Overall Pogba had a good game," the Juve coach said. "But in certain instances he could have done better." Time to make his coach fully satisfied is certainly on Pogba's side.