What has Smalling done to fall out of favour with Jose?
He had a string of games last season where he at least commanded his position and made our defence look better than what it has been for the past 2 games inc pre season.
He also has not been to the WC meaning he should be fresh as a daisy.
All three seasons under Jose, Smalling hasnt started for one reason or another.
We all know what he can do and what hes limited to do. I think in terms of the way Jose wants to play, he doesnt like Smalling. And tbh, if we were wanting to play a better way in terms of dominating the ball, pressing, etc, Smalling shouldnt feature.
The problem comes in that nobody can stay fit. Nobody can get consistency. The one who has been consistent the most or available the most is Smalling. And thus for two seasons in a row hes ended up finishing as our CB (in the final games)
Hes not bad. But hes not a solution whether its being the number 1 defender or number 2 defender. I think he would make a great third choice CB who is used for situations where we need to defend deep and deal with long balls / balls into the box.
The one thing im not sure about right now is throwinghim on against Spurs cos how much football has he had since the end of the last season? It would be typical if we started him, hes off the pace and ends up giving away a penalty from pulling the shirt lol.