Chris Smalling - does he start at any other top 6 team?

wolvored

Full Member
Joined
Jul 6, 2016
Messages
9,871
So far he's 0/2 with 2 great performances out of 2 with VAR. So thats a bold prediction.
Thats 2 matches. He could be picked for up to 38 matches next year. What you are saying is similar to saying Rashford/Martial will score every game because they have scored in the last 2.
 

wolvored

Full Member
Joined
Jul 6, 2016
Messages
9,871
Did you ever consider that if he gets penalised for pulling he might actually just stop doing it?

Some people seem to just assume he would keep doing it all season and give away 15 penalties. I pity anyone who's dumb enough to think that to be honest.
Its an hard habit to break when he has done it season after season. In the heat of a match its easy to repeat old habits.
 

Denis79

Full Member
Joined
Nov 2, 2014
Messages
7,752
Great defender, mediocre passer. Needs to play twice as well as most players to get any credit due to a lack of flair and the idea posters have that "I could do what he does!" without actually understanding defending and knowing what he does.
Agree, He's our best defender and has saved his centre-back partners countless times this season. If he's good enough for the other top 6? I honestly don't know because I only watch a handful of their games but he should be starting for us imo.
 

Nou_Camp99

what would Souness do?
Joined
Apr 1, 2013
Messages
10,274
Smalling seems to get all the blame. Lindelof has been absolutely rubbish last 5/6 games. After a decent run of games he's gone backwards again.

The truth is we don't have a single top class CB. None of them are really Utd standard going off our previous list of great CB's.

Tuanzebe is the one I'm banking on to come good.
 

Andersonson

Full Member
Joined
Jan 12, 2013
Messages
3,768
Location
Trondheim
I disagree. Especially on Shaw. In my opinion Shaw is one of the best left backs in the world and will only get better.

No way. The best left backs are good in attack. Shaw is average going forward. He's a good poayero, but very overrated in here.
 

Giant Midget

Aka - rooney_10119
Joined
Aug 2, 2008
Messages
5,216
No way. The best left backs are good in attack. Shaw is average going forward. He's a good poayero, but very overrated in here.
He’s not a flying overlapping LB like Evra, but I think Shaw has probably the best touch and short-passing game out of all our players. He combines well when we play Martial, Pogba and him on that side of the pitch.

We need someone who’s more adventurous on the right side to balance it out and we’ll be fine.
 

SuperiorXI

Full Member
Joined
Jan 8, 2012
Messages
14,450
Location
Manchester, England
No way. The best left backs are good in attack. Shaw is average going forward. He's a good poayero, but very overrated in here.
Just a few games ago the dude delivered a peach of a pass few left backs around could for Rashford to score. He's also defensively solid. There's a reason most teams focus on our left side defensively when playing us and Shaw is part of that reason.
 

Isotope

Ten Years a Cafite
Joined
Mar 6, 2012
Messages
23,554
What pedestal? Almost all I’ve seen is just them giving credit where it’s due, unlike most of his detractors who doesn’t seem to pay attention to his game most of the time and just assumes that he’s crap. Those on here who think that he’s great are actually very few. The sadder thing is that most United fans worldwide strongly believes that he’s one of the worst cb in the club’s history and that’s criminal even for you who simply thinks he’s decent.
Yeh. Would be interesting to see some in here think about if Smalling was skinned by pacy players like Eto'o and Torres, or lost header to a midget like Messi.

While Smalling constantly make Kane and Hazard his bitches, among others (Mbappe, Messi, Suarez). Other than a few, can you see any of the Top 6 centerbacks regularly do this? Stone couldn't even mark Mandzukic, ffs.

 
Last edited:

Ekeke

Full Member
Joined
Aug 1, 2006
Messages
53,080
Location
Hope, We Lose
Thats 2 matches. He could be picked for up to 38 matches next year. What you are saying is similar to saying Rashford/Martial will score every game because they have scored in the last 2.
Its actually the opposite. You're the one saying something will happen a lot during games like a goal, or a penalty.

I'm saying nothing happened in 2/2 VAR games so far and based on that nothing is likely to continue, rather than lots of penalties or in your example, lots of goals.
 

BringNaniBack

Leaves a bullshit trail behind him
Joined
Oct 26, 2014
Messages
3,530
He's the 2nd best CB in the league behind Van Dijk. Massively underrated.
 

Eleven-Eighteen

Full Member
Joined
Apr 10, 2015
Messages
845
Another good game from Mike.

He's a fighter. All great teams have had fighters, especially in defence.

He'd definitely make it into any of the other Top 6 teams in current form
 

LJJT

Full Member
Joined
Apr 20, 2010
Messages
1,536
Location
North West
One of our best players this season I would say. Wins pretty much every header, his passing and coming forward with the ball has improved a lot. He’s our best defender in my view he’s got a lot of heart and he’s improved a lot recently which shows he’s working hard and trying to learn
 

Irwin99

Full Member
Joined
Aug 6, 2018
Messages
9,124
We have players that can play well for six weeks in an entire season and earn big new contracts and yet Smalling plays at a decent, consistent level pretty much every game and gets gets criticised for a lack of quality. I don't think he's world class or anything but he's a good, solid performer.
 

sideshow_bob

Full Member
Joined
Feb 5, 2018
Messages
738
Supports
Healthy nutrition
I love how some people think we could buy Koulibaly/Varane/Skriniar etc and it would be Smalling who loses his place.

It's Lindelof/Jones who would lose out.

Smalling can't be dropped because we rely on him a lot for aerial duels.
 

dogwithabone

Full Member
Joined
Apr 27, 2014
Messages
2,256
Smalling was excellent today. What the f*** do people expect from a centre half ? He’s dominant in the air, is a good match on the deck for most strikers and takes responsibility on himself to move out of the defence with the ball and try and get us going a bit further up field.

He’s not in VVD class but is among the best of the rest on current form.

Agendas just make people look idiots .
 

B20

HEY EVERYONE I IGNORE SOMEONE LOOK AT ME
Joined
Aug 23, 2003
Messages
27,547
Location
Disney Land
Supports
Liverpool
Gomez has been class this season for Liverpool too.
Gomez was almost as good as van dijk before he got injured. If he comes back the same and steers clear of injury he's world class. Been a big miss having him out.
 

Murder on Zidane's Floor

You'd better not kill Giroud
Joined
Jun 11, 2015
Messages
28,309
Ok obviously his passing is pants but his forward run and pass to Rashford was very good.

He also charges out and smashes headers away through the back of other midfielders which I love.

To be fair he's utterly dominant physically but just lacks the ball skills. I'm warming to him though
 

Rozay

Master of Hindsight
Joined
Oct 22, 2012
Messages
27,025
Location
...
I love how some people think we could buy Koulibaly/Varane/Skriniar etc and it would be Smalling who loses his place.

It's Lindelof/Jones who would lose out.

Smalling can't be dropped because we rely on him a lot for aerial duels.
Been saying this. Smalling and Koulibaly would be a great pairing I think.
 

Amar__

Geriatric lover and empath
Joined
Sep 2, 2010
Messages
24,002
Location
Sarajevo
Supports
MK Dons
I seriously don't get what people see in Spurs' and City's defenders? Some of the reactions from Spurs' defenders tonight was midtable premierleague level. Van Dijk is the only stand out defender out of top6, all others are average as it gets, and the likes of Smalling, fit Jones(impossible to combine the two words), this year's Lindelof, wouldn't look anything worse than any of them. They would actually improve them, since they would look even better with stable back line and midfield ahead of them.
 

MadMike

Full Member
Joined
Sep 16, 2015
Messages
11,607
Location
London
I seriously don't get what people see in Spurs' and City's defenders? Some of the reactions from Spurs' defenders tonight was midtable premierleague level. Van Dijk is the only stand out defender out of top6, all others are average as it gets, and the likes of Smalling, fit Jones(impossible to combine the two words), this year's Lindelof, wouldn't look anything worse than any of them. They would actually improve them, since they would look even better with stable back line and midfield ahead of them.
Laporte in particular was shocking tonight. Half the passes were astray
 

ti vu

Full Member
Joined
Jun 16, 2015
Messages
12,799
I seriously don't get what people see in Spurs' and City's defenders? Some of the reactions from Spurs' defenders tonight was midtable premierleague level. Van Dijk is the only stand out defender out of top6, all others are average as it gets, and the likes of Smalling, fit Jones(impossible to combine the two words), this year's Lindelof, wouldn't look anything worse than any of them. They would actually improve them, since they would look even better with stable back line and midfield ahead of them.
It's the ability to initiate play from the back. Yes, they're not very good defenders, but since the aim is to create and score more, they need that. Alternatively, you have to defend very well, or you're stuck in the middle with not able to create while getting thumping creating chance for opposition by poor playing out of the back.

Getting the right players are another issue.

Why was this posted in Smalling thread?
 

Amar__

Geriatric lover and empath
Joined
Sep 2, 2010
Messages
24,002
Location
Sarajevo
Supports
MK Dons
It's the ability to initiate play from the back. Yes, they're not very good defenders, but since the aim is to create and score more, they need that. Alternatively, you have to defend very well, or you're stuck in the middle with not able to create while getting thumping creating chance for opposition by poor playing out of the back.
Laporte gave away the ball for one Spurs goal today. Stones gave away the ball a million times for a goal to opponent in last few years. Smalling hardly ever did that.

Smalling is also far bigger goal threat in attack than any of them.

There's really not that much advantage with them playing one or two good passes throughout the game, as we saw with Lindelof this season, he hardly brought too much to our play considering how much was Smalling criticised.
 

11101

Full Member
Joined
Aug 26, 2014
Messages
21,203
Laporte gave away the ball for one Spurs goal today. Stones gave away the ball a million times for a goal to opponent in last few years. Smalling hardly ever did that.

Smalling is also far bigger goal threat in attack than any of them.

There's really not that much advantage with them playing one or two good passes throughout the game, as we saw with Lindelof this season, he hardly brought too much to our play considering how much was Smalling criticised.
Come off it, if you can't see the difference in how they build from the back and how we do it then there's no hope. Even with the mistakes tonight, their entire teams were 30 yards further up the field than ours because they don't need to worry about their defenders getting stuck on the ball.
 

ti vu

Full Member
Joined
Jun 16, 2015
Messages
12,799
Laporte gave away the ball for one Spurs goal today. Stones gave away the ball a million times for a goal to opponent in last few years. Smalling hardly ever did that.

Smalling is also far bigger goal threat in attack than any of them.

There's really not that much advantage with them playing one or two good passes throughout the game, as we saw with Lindelof this season, he hardly brought too much to our play considering how much was Smalling criticised.
Smalling being criticized harshly at times, Lindelof got too much praise for his improvement from last season and the CBs level of City ain't that great. However, you're looking at few games where the stake are high and they showed their short coming. Overall, they're fit enough for the style Pep wants, and reach level that enable the, to challenge/winning the league.

Not giving the ball away directly is not good enough. Harder pass is in itself risky. When it's a truly capable player, that pass would turn the table in one instance from defend to attack.

Smalling goal threat didn't really much matter most of the time especially at top level when we couldn't earn set piece, or even worse as a team can't push into opposition half.
 

Cabin Clown

New Member
Newbie
Joined
Feb 4, 2019
Messages
283
Another example tonight of why Smalling would walk into any top 6 team. So what he mightn't hit a sexy pass every 5 mins? Wouldn't take another defender over him bar obviously VVD in the league. Been observing the waffle that's posted in here for weeks now. Some poor fans who seem to get some of their knowledge/take the attitude to with whats posted on social media on these boards.

It's sad. He's a terrific defender. If you want a ball playing CB then get someone in place of Lindelof. He can't hit a pass better than Smalling and don't embarrass yourselves saying he can.
 

F miah

New Member
Newbie
Joined
Oct 19, 2015
Messages
110
Only arsenal but I don’t count as arsenal being a top four club
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Amar__

Geriatric lover and empath
Joined
Sep 2, 2010
Messages
24,002
Location
Sarajevo
Supports
MK Dons
Come off it, if you can't see the difference in how they build from the back and how we do it then there's no hope.
And we did that with van Gaal, during that season Smalling was one of our best players. Our attack was still shit, simply our play in final third is desperate for years and it hardly has anything to do with our defenders.
 

adexkola

Doesn't understand sportswashing.
Joined
Mar 17, 2008
Messages
48,031
Location
The CL is a glorified FA Cup set to music
Supports
orderly disembarking on planes
Laporte gave away the ball for one Spurs goal today. Stones gave away the ball a million times for a goal to opponent in last few years. Smalling hardly ever did that.

Smalling is also far bigger goal threat in attack than any of them.

There's really not that much advantage with them playing one or two good passes throughout the game, as we saw with Lindelof this season, he hardly brought too much to our play considering how much was Smalling criticised.
Why would City take a defender from a side that has conceded many more goals than them over the past 2 seasons?

And you are wrong on the bolded. He may score more goals directly, but I've lost count of the times Laporte or Stones or Otamendi will play a pass that directly leads to a shot on goal or a goal.
 

Champagne Football

New Member
Joined
Nov 28, 2015
Messages
4,187
Location
El Beatle
The reality is that Southgate selects central defenders from Everton, Burnley and Leicester ahead of him - Tarkowski, Keane and Maguire. Southgate was a central defender and has shown he knows how to set up a tight defence very well.

Smalling is having a great season. I think either himself or Lindelof would really thrive playing next to a world class leader such as Koulibaly, Varane, DeLigt, Godin. That's the problem we have now. Some decent defenders but no Stam/Tony Adams/John Terry type monster leader for them to play next to.
 

Amar__

Geriatric lover and empath
Joined
Sep 2, 2010
Messages
24,002
Location
Sarajevo
Supports
MK Dons
Why would City take a defender from a side that has conceded many more goals than them over the past 2 seasons?
We had seasons where we conceeded less than the likes of City and people weren't happy with our defence. City generally don't conceede too many goals because they dominate games because they have excellent players all around, but their defence is the worst part of their starting XI.

They conceeded three goals in CL quarter finals against fecking Spurs without Harry Kane.

He may score more goals directly, but I've lost count of the times Laporte or Stones or Otamendi will play a pass that directly leads to a shot on goal or a goal.
I've also lost count of goals that City conceeded after their defenders flaffed around with the ball and lost it in dangerous area.

You are also wrong, key passes stat in PL this season:
John Stones 0.2 per game
Otamendi 0.1 per gamr
Kompany 0.1 per game

Jones 0.2 per game
Lindelof 0.2 per game
Smalling 0.1 per game

Assists and goals:
All three City defenders combined: 0 assists in PL this season, and 0 goals

Three United defenders: 2 assists in total, and 2 goals


Look how great their defenders are with the ball!!!
 

adexkola

Doesn't understand sportswashing.
Joined
Mar 17, 2008
Messages
48,031
Location
The CL is a glorified FA Cup set to music
Supports
orderly disembarking on planes
We had seasons where we conceeded less than the likes of City and people weren't happy with our defence. City generally don't conceede too many goals because they dominate games because they have excellent players all around, but their defence is the worst part of their starting XI.

They conceeded three goals in CL quarter finals against fecking Spurs without Harry Kane.



I've also lost count of goals that City conceeded after their defenders flaffed around with the ball and lost it in dangerous area.

You are also wrong, key passes stat in PL this season:
John Stones 0.2 per game
Otamendi 0.1 per gamr
Kompany 0.1 per game

Jones 0.2 per game
Lindelof 0.2 per game
Smalling 0.1 per game

Assists and goals:
All three City defenders combined: 0 assists in PL this season, and 0 goals

Three United defenders: 2 assists in total, and 2 goals


Look how great their defenders are with the ball!!!
What seasons were those?

So these excellent players that prevent them from conceding goals, don't include their defenders? :lol:

Son is an excellent player. And they're not a one man team.

The key pass stat (as good as it is) doesn't capture the full length of what the City players in the back line contribute to the team. Watch Jesus' goal against Brighton in the cup, or De Bruyne's goal against Chelsea, and you'll probably understand what I'm saying here.

I'm done with this specific conversation, but go to the thread where there's a discussion going on about how good Ajax is on the ball and off the ball, and ask yourself what happens when Smalling gets put in that team. Or don't, and think that him going into a City side or any side where possession is important, will work out.
 

Hawks2008

Full Member
Joined
Mar 11, 2015
Messages
4,912
Location
Melbz
He is a big part of the reason we are so poor at moving the ball in deeper areas. Hinders us as much as his good qualities benefit us.
 

Kill 'em all

Pastor of Muppets
Joined
Sep 15, 2012
Messages
10,546
He's nowhere close to the level of defenders like VVD. We need to fix our back 4 and replacing him with a much better player would be a good start.