Don't disagree with any of that but it was the right hand side where the danger was in the first 10 mins. All I'm saying is in times gone by, we've had players who have helped out in that manner. Smalling has been a revelation this season and wasn't at fault yesterday, I just would like to have seen him help darmian a bit more.
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Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 55
- Clean sheets
- 24
- Goals
- 2
- Assists
- 1
- Yellow cards
- 13
- Red cards
- 1
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik @Rood and Imran @Annihilate Now! start with the good news by celebrating Manchester United Women's emphatic FA Cup win over Spurs at Wembley and the future of manager Marc Skinner.
Then it's the bad news and the ever worsening form of our Men with losses to Arsenal and Palace.
Finally the main debate - ETH Out now or keep him until the end of the season - if not longer. Are you Team Nik or Team Imran?
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Bollocks.
It was an exaggeration but not entirely wrong - there have been numerous times this season when Smalling has had to cover for Blind (and others), noticeably so.
Likewise others have had to cover for Smalling. It's what teams do.
Im not claiming that Smalling is perfect by any means, however for me at least it has been noticeable that he has often been the one to have to bail out other defenders after they have made errors. I am sure there are some, but I do not recall any instances of Smalling making an error that Blind (or someone else) had to rectify, this season.
I'm all for giving Smalling credit for an excellent season but I'm not having it that he's been playing Weekend at Bernies all season and carrying some deadweight alongside him.
He somewhat reminds me of Rio in the years before Vidic came along. Had a few gaffes (Yakubu at Riverside anyone?) but more often than not he was the one marshalling the back line with Silvestre and Heinze in the mix.
He is in the form of his life, he has been by far our best defender this season but there seems to be a necessity on here to criticise others to further praise Smalling.
Up until the Arsenal game Blind was having a superb season, no one in our back line covered themselves in glory on Saturday, but yet again the age old posts of Smalling is covering for everybody else and can do no wrong posts are popping up again.
Eh? Almost every single time there's an aerial ball to contested on Blind's side of defence, Smalling has been dragged out of position to win it for him. It worked at the start when Darmian plugged the whole left on Smalling's side, but it was never really going to sustainable long term. It happens multiple times every single game.
Its fair enough that Blind has been exceeding expectations at CB for most people, but the trend in virtually every game we have played has been for opponents to look to target Blind as a weak link, as he isnt particularly fast and isnt particularly good in the air either. He has done well but there have still been question marks about him being a CB for us in the long term.
Everton 0:3 Man Utd
Another incredible performance today so far. Not giving Lukaku an inch.
It's ridiculous how good he is becoming. In a football world which is short of world class centre backs, there aren't too many you'd take ahead of him right now. Complete defender.
One-man defense. He's literally everywhere. Every time there's a dangerous attack and we stop it, it's him.
Is this his best performance of the season so far? Keep playing like this and it'll judge edge out the Spurs match for me.
There's really not a lot you can do as a striker if you're up against someone bigger, stronger, quicker and more intelligent than you. Monster.
use that second center back as extra striker, we don't need two, Smalling's enough, best center back in the league by far..
Smallenbauer 
Beast mode
The Boss!
Franco Baresi and Franz Beckenbauer have Chris Smalling posters on their walls. 
There's good, bloody good, and then there's Chris Smalling.
He's simply brilliant.
Looking at the replays he definitely didn't mean the assist 
Best in the world atm
Him and Jones are great together, don't know why it was broken up. Never lost a game when they've been the CB partnership have we?
Ridiculous defender.
They've probably played about two games together at CB.
Played quite a few last season. Including that run of Spurs home, Liverpool away, City home.
Was a joke but yeah, I'd like to see them two there consistently.
Monstrous display thus far.
What I like the most about him now is that he's never afraid to take charge of situations, he's taken on the role as a leader at the back after Rio and Vidic left.
Beast mode. Engaged.
What a player. Always love it when our CBs bully an opposing striker, especially one like Lukaku, who was being an absolute bitch today.He literally looks unbeatable at the moment.
I love the lad to bits
I've been pro smalling for time now, always knew he had this in him and just needed to stay fit. Long may it continue 
An absolute colossus. Positionally, aerially, in the tackle and now he can get it down and play a bit too. Beginning to feel safe with him at the back.
Absolutely brilliant so far this season.
I'm obsessed with him, I'd marry him if I could
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