Chris Smalling | Roma player

[Coy Keane]

"Smalling is our best centerback post Fergie"
"Smalling was not good enough and selling him was the right decision"

Both of these statements can be true... Just saying

 

[Andy_Cole]

Have lindelof and maguire really improved us over Smalling? not really.

That in lies the problem. We spend spend spend on new players but they rarely actually make us better.

That’s because football today is a data analysis/ detailed coaching game. Especially defending. Both of which is non existent at United.

We could’ve ended up with Dias and VVD and we’d still be terrible.

 

[TrustInJanuzaj]

I see, Caf having its usual bouts of amnesia in the thread.

Yep next up the rafael, Nani and Chicharito threads!

 

[TrustInJanuzaj]

"Smalling is our best centerback post Fergie"
"Smalling was not good enough and selling him was the right decision"

Both of these statements can be true... Just saying

Except one of them isn’t!

 

[devips]

Honestly, in terms of pure, raw defending Smalling is right up there with the likes of Koulibaly, Chiellini, Godin, etc. He's a bit weak on the ball but in a proper system he can be a world class CB for a top team.
Bait

Absolutely spot on. He was our best defender post-Ferguson.

 

[Bobski]

Haven't seen any of him this season but based on his play the previous 2 when I saw a fair amount of him at Roma there has been a significant physical decline that would probably be a greater issue in England.

The bigger issue is how Smalling was consistently made a scapegoat for many of the issues in our play, with silly little meme's mocking the aesthetics of his game when his performances were strong over a number of years. He never had a consistent partner other than that spell with Blind, injury prone Jones, head case Rojo and Bailly, and finally the invisible man Lindelof. He was an easy target for criticism, the constant insistence that he was holding back our attacking play, and attackers, (the obsession with making excuses for the under performing star attackers contributes hugely here)

His peak years were genuinely excellent defensively.

 

[Coy Keane]

Except one of them isn’t!

Who's been better? Looking at the post Fergie era in isolation, you can't really claim that it's Rio or Vidic. As for Varane, he's not even been here a year and he's been injured a lot. And it's not like he's been outstanding when called upon(though I expect this to change).

Rojo, Bailly and Jones is a walkover. Evans and Lindelöf is more a even battle, but Smalling definitely wins here as well.

That pretty much leaves Maguire and Blind. If you had asked me one year ago, then I would have agreed on Maguire being better than Smalling, but the current season has made me change my mind.

Blind was decent, but Smalling was widely considered the better centerback while they both played for United(which is what we're discussing here). Of course some fans disagreed and claimed that Blind was the one making Smalling look good, but that was not really a common opinion.

 

[UnrelatedPsuedo]

Except one of them isn’t!

Both are true

 

[TrustInJanuzaj]

Both are true

If have him as 5th best CB since Fergie left. Even in that very partnership Blind was easily the better player.

 

[Isotope]

"Smalling is our best centerback post Fergie"
"Smalling was not good enough and selling him was the right decision"

Both of these statements can be true... Just saying

Why selling him was the right decision, when United kept the worse like Jones, Rojo, Bailly and Lindelof while spending 80m for a not so obvious upgrade of him?

I think it was a very stupid decision.

 

[Real Madras]

Absolutely spot on. He was our best defender post-Ferguson.

Haha white text brother. You fell for it

 

[Coy Keane]

Why selling him was the right decision, when United kept the worse like Jones, Rojo, Bailly and Lindelof while spending 80m for a not so obvious upgrade of him?

I think it was a very stupid decision.

I think it boils down to two simple reasons:

1. Smalling was by far the easiest to sell. And considering the club's poor record with sales, it was probably tempting to get rid of a problem rather easily, even if he was the least of our problems.

2. If I remember correctly, Smalling himself pushed for the move during his loan spell. Why fight tooth and nail over a 30 year old who wants out and is barely good enough to begin with?

 

[Leftback99]

Should have been tried in partnership with Maguire in at least one game, would have been a solid if not spectacular partnership. Lindelof or Bailly should have been sold instead. I said it the time.

 

[Isotope]

I think it boils down to two simple reasons:



2. If I remember correctly, Smalling himself pushed for the move during his loan spell. Why fight tooth and nail over a 30 year old who wants out and is barely good enough to begin with?

There wasn't much of a "fight". United threat a good servant like him like shit. And "barely good enough" is open to interpretation. He's more than good enough at least as the 3rd CB.

“I knew that my days under Ole were pretty much numbered,” Smalling told The Telegraph. “I was just a bit frustrated.

“One, I would like to have been told earlier and then, secondly, I was only able to go with just a day left of the Italian window being open.

“The English window had shut. I was left in a very s*** situation. I had to decide. After I had that chat [with Solskjaer] it was a case [from him] of, ‘I’m not sure when your next game will be’.

“In an ideal situation I would have known early in the summer and made plans and it almost got to the stage where I had a day left.

“My wife had just had a kid as well. There was a lot going on that happened at the last minute.”

https://www.teamtalk.com/news/chris-smalling-man-utd-solskjaer-decision-roma-move

 

[Irwin99]

Monster performance from Mike and seems to work well in a three. Pleased for him. Can 100% see why he was sold, especially when you want your centre backs to play progressive football but I always thought he was a much better defender than people gave him credit for.

I wish Maguire or Lindelof had his recovery pace

 

[::sonny::]

No sense sale like it has been also for Jonny Evans, both better of many we have now

A madness of incompetence

 

[Idxomer]

Happy for him, he was always underrated at United and was unfairly lumped in with Jones.

 

[FootyGirl88]

He’s clear of Maguire

 

[Annihilate Now!]

Chuffed for him - he was absolutely immense.

And before the "it was only Feynoord" - he was also great in the games vs. Leicester too.

 

[AjaxCunian]

The guy can defend, have always maintained that.

Not a progressive player on the ball but neither has Maguire been after the WC or is Lindelof apart from the occasional hollywood pass.

Let me not start on that French lad.

Get Timber.

 

[Irwin99]

Chuffed for him - he was absolutely immense.

And before the "it was only Feynoord" - he was also great in the games vs. Leicester too.

Absolutely bossed it against PSG in THAT famous night in Paris too.

He's always had these kind of performances in him. It's just the odd brain fart and awfully limited passing that brought him down, which is a shame. I liked him as a natural defender more than Evans and Jones.

 

[Blood Mage]

If he wasn't so trash on the ball he'd be a top 5 CB in the world.

 

[izec]

Found his level

That said, half our squad wouldn't look out of place in the Conference league.

 

[Natener]

Chuffed for him - he was absolutely immense.

And before the "it was only Feynoord" - he was also great in the games vs. Leicester too.

It was only Leicester. Let's talk when he can do it against Brighton as well.

 

[The Corinthian]

Happy for him. Would rather he had stayed here than the likes of Jones, Bailly, Lindelof etc.

 

[Lost bear]

They were inconsistent with obvious flaws but they weren't bad.

I don't think the decision to sell either of them was wrong though and I was a fan of Smalling till his last season when he started to decline.

I’m not sure that he went into decline- more a case of being out of form. I’ve watched Roma regularly this season and he’s been consistently good. Still a fan of Mike Smalling…

 

[Lay]

Not a big fan of his but I'd take him over Maguire.

 

[Irrational.]

How the likes of Tyrone Mingeflaps can get in the England squad ahead of him is beyond me.

 

[peridigm]

You all have a short memory.

 

[RussellWilson]

Smalldini. Our best centre back since Rio and Vidic, this cannot be denied.

 

[Adam-Utd]

nobody can tell me lindelof is better than smalling. Another big mistake we made.

 

[Andersonson]

I got smacked when I said he is better than Bailly. He always was

 

[sullydnl]

Good defender, suited to Mourinho-ball. Don't regret either Smalling nor Mourinho-ball not featuring at our club any more.

 

[Based Adnan]

Wasn't long ago he was at fault in some way for most of the 6 goals we put past Roma

 

[bond19821982]

Yeah, let's compare the worst season of our defenders with a player who probably had the best season in years. Typical Cafe, makes perfect sense.

 

[Pintu]

Wasn't long ago he was at fault in some way for most of the 6 goals we put past Roma

I remember their players falling injured like flies and their reserve keeper gifting us goals... And then De Gea avoiding embarrassment in the second leg.

 

[VanDeBank]

Are we really complimenting Mike on a game against Nigeria's backup to their bench CF on loan from fecking Genk valued at 4 million euros?

Decent defender if we ignore the limited passing, but needed to be improved upon. Our shitty recruitment doesn't change that.

Would he play at Chelsea, Liverpool or City? No.

Likeable dude and I'm happy he got a lift a trophy. That's all that needs to be said.

 

[Cabin Clown]

He'd be clear first choice in our team.

 

[VanDeBank]

He'd be clear first choice in our team.

Under Mourinho? Sure. ETH would rather play Shaw or Donny at CB. I guaran-fecking-tee it.
In Cruyfian/Pep philosophy, the CB is thought of as the first attacker, not the guy that supposed to be big, strong and fast kicking balls out of the box.

 

[FrankDrebin]

It was the fecking European Conference League Final.

You'd find stronger opposition in the 3rd round of the League Cup.