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Lizarazu thinks Pogba can't handle the pressure

Maybe it's his young age, but at this stage of the tournament, Paul Pogba hasn't been able to live up to the hype during the Euros with France. There have been other players for the national team who have stepped up to the challenge and made a better impression than Pogba's, people such as Antoine Griezmann or Dimitri Payet have filled the void that Pogba left after not performing at the level everybody expected from him. 

To former international Bixente Lizarazu, the Juventus midfielder has an amazing potential but it's just not his time yet. Talking to Diario AS, he said: "Pogba has great potential. He has it all - technical quality and physical prowess. The problem is we expect a lot from him and we want to see him at his highest level all the time. Sometimes, we forget that he is only 23, that there's always development in a footballer. It's not easy for him to cope with the pressure and that's been noticed in the tournament."

Lizarazu also spoke about Antoine Griezmann and Dimitri Payet's great performances with his country: "Griezmann is a player who always looks calm on the pitch. This is not the Griezmann of the World Cup, who was able to play well but wasn't obliged to make the difference. He can decide things and he's been doing that. He was key to Atletico Madrid in their big games with Barcelona and Bayern [Munich], and he's done the same in high-pressure games for France. Six months ago, Payet wasn't in the squad. It's incredible what he's done. He has played world-class games."

About the French's chances to beat Germany, Lizarazu added: "I think France are where they should be, even though they have suffered more than they would have hoped. It was a mixture of wanting to do things well and being afraid of doing things badly. Playing in the semi-finals is the minimum potential of France. They had a simple group and then straightforward knockouts. Until now, they could mistake mistakes, but the semis of a European Championship are another story because a mistake can send you home. We've been improving, but some aspects, like the balance between midfield and defense, are key to beating the big teams."

Photo credit: Equipe de France

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