Away game, plus we are better now and Hull were winning 2 games from the off.
It was easy against Reading and will be against Hull, but lets see how he defends and passes against Liverpool with their pressing.
12
Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 36
- Clean sheets
- 18
- Goals
- 2
- Assists
- 2
- Yellow cards
- 0
- Status
It was easy against Reading and will be against Hull, but lets see how he defends and passes against Liverpool with their pressing.
Wasn't Smalling predominately played as a RB under Moyes? Could be wrong but I seem to remember him playing at least one of Ferdinand, Evans and Vidic in CB most weeks. Smalling and Jones were good together in LvG's first season when Rojo was injured and in the U21 Championship for England, although obviously that's a really long time ago now.
Don't get me wrong, I don't think they'll get close to Ferdinand and Vidic levels, I just disagree they're a bad partnership.
This I do agree with. I remember people being worried when Rojo got injured in his first season. Even last season he put in some good displays at LB when he first played there but struggled as the season went on.
The tackle on Zaha wasn't a red in my book. But anyway, thats all hypothethics. He didn't get sent off, just like Smalling managed to not give away any fouls all those times he's been pulling on a players shirt defending a corner.
By your logic, Sergio Ramos must be a liability aswell. Cause he's got a ton of red cards under his belt. Yet every team would have Sergio Ramos in their Starting 11.
Was my opinion too, could have definitely seen red (and defo should have against Everton) but he sat on the floor versus Zaha and had zero forward momentum, you can't really hurt someone like that.
So what if the red cards and penalty you're using to criticise Smalling with hadn't been given? That changes how good he is 'by your logic'.
What if your Aunt had balls?
Fact is, they were given. Rojo got away with one bad tackle which by the way, managed to break up a potential counter attack.
Which is exactly what Smalling did in the FA Cup final tbf.
If we're discussing the FA Cup sent off, then Smalling was an idiot. Beaten by strength and pace , his supposed best attributes in the first booking, then again beaten by strength at half way line. First one is understandable. Second one is pure stupidity because it's unnecessary
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This
I have given Rojo his deserved praise. Im just not buying this revisionist bullshit about Smalling. If not for poor officiating Rojo should have been sent off twice this season but I guess you'd have defended him if it happened. The real reason United have gone unbeaten is that Mourinho has figured out what formation suits the team best and he's brought back Michael Carrick. Add to that Mkhitaryan finally showing his worth and Ibra continuing his fine form. The team is way more settled all round. Any combination of fully fit CBs would've done a job during this run. Smalling is not this shite player you're making him out to be. Clearly blind hate
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This was the CB who silenced Kane, Vardy, Lukaku and Costa last season and suddenly he's not good enough?
Now that looking at these clip, it's clear as day how different LVG set up his defense to allow man marking vs Mourinho's high defensive line & zonal defending.
Too many instance in the clip, there is no defined defending line, but layer of players to anticipate the situation. So just as people have been pointing out: different system, and Smalling is still stuck with LVG's way. You can see clearly when Smalling won the ball in those clip, there's hardly any players to start counter. When one player goes for hunting the ball, other dropped back to make up the numbers... We often went to possession mode and slow build up after winning the ball back. Smalling was one, if not our best ball winner ball under LVG so he's allowed more freedom to go hunting/ tasked with man marking.
Under Mourinho, we employed something like 4 phases of play principles. Once we won possession , the player with the ball need to take responsibility to decide: counter or calm thing down. Not so much of default recycle possession like under LVG so some one with less ability on like Smalling would struggle if he is responsible to start the counter attack.
Under Mourinho, in defending phase, player would need to take responsibility since in zonal defending, you can be found outnumbered at times. It's up to the player intelligence/ability to read the situation to anticipate the attack.
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http://www.espnfc.com/manchester-un...s-smalling-confirms-he-played-with-broken-toe
Just confirms what we all knew, right?
Just confirms what we all knew, right?
Do you think the people who don't like him care?
Anything good Smalling has done was because of LVG, or Blind, or a crap team. Whereas it's only Smalling's fault when things go wrong.
I'll never quite understand it fully either. Certain players who have made some big mistakes only seem to get remembered for said mistakes, even when some of the points brought up have a reason behind them.Do you think the people who don't like him care?
Anything good Smalling has done was because of LVG, or Blind, or a crap team. Whereas it's only Smalling's fault when things go wrong.
Shite against Chelsea? I think walking with a broken toe is hard enough.
Sent off against Palace? Took one for the team if anything.
The sending off against City was of course stupid, but that's so long ago now as well and in practically every other game he was good.
Every excuse for Smalling playing well can be countered by excuses for Jones & Rojo playing well. Carrick getting into the starting 11, the 433 and pretty much the entire team just (finally) more consistent in terms of playing well and limiting changes.
That's the thing, this season Smalling has only played while the entire team was still finding the correct formation, tactic and rhythm. So most of Smalling's appearances have come while we haven't played well.
Therefore, to the people who don't like him, or the ones who prefer Jones, Rojo or Bailly - that somehow means Smalling is our worst CB.
Compare that with Jones & Rojo who have played every single match with a settled midfield including Carrick in front of them, (a luxury Smalling and Bailly haven't had) Ibra in fine form, Mkhi returned to the side, Martial finding form, Rooney & Fellaini not being first teamers etc.
That's not to say that Jones and Rojo haven't played well because they have, I just don't buy the argument that they're doing what Smalling can't do.
All 4 of our defenders have a similar level of ability in my opinion, and different strengths and weaknesses.
There's no reason to break up the Jones and Rojo partnership, but don't try and justify their partnership as a reason that Smalling is shite.
Spot on
watch this place when he gets back to the beast mode, the only reason why he wasn't there lately was because he broke his fecking toe, if Rojo can look decent under mourinho, Smalling can get to his world class form from the first half of the season last year easily under Mourinho or get even better...
can't wait for him to shut some mouths here up
can't wait for him to shut some mouths here up
btw noone of his critics mentioned that it was Smalling who created clear cut chance when he drove with tha ball forward from defense and found Rashford who only hit the side netting after he went past the keeper, he's not that terrible with the ball, not elegant but certainly not that bad like every hater of his thinks
Much to my surprise, I just discovered that Smalling is a former national champion in judo. I wonder whether this might explain his constant shirt-pulling.
I know shirt-pulling is common, but Smalling definitely does it more than most, and grabbing hold of an opponent's gi is very common in judo. Perhaps this tendency to grab hold of opponents transferred from his judo to his football when he was younger? In the same way that Ibrahimovic's extensive taekwondo training (black belt at the age of 17) transferred over to football in the form of his acrobatic volleys.
Come to think of it, United have a good selection of martial artists. In addition to Smalling and Zlatan, Rooney was a good boxer as a teenager and Pogba seems like a decent kickboxer based on an instagram video of his. Throw in the beast that is Valencia and the elbows of Fellaini, and United would make quite the fight club!
The main problem I have with Smalling on the ball is the dawdling. It is frustrating. Often he makes as if he is going to make a penetrating run and then loses his nerve and ends up passing back. Perhaps the issue is lack of confidence, but the end result is the same: he usually doesn't do anything positive with the ball.
It crossed my mind, when he made that fantastic pass, that perhaps the threat of losing his place will force him to do more, do something meaningful with the ball. Let's hope he continues.
obviously him being a footballer is a bit competent passer. But he is very poor compared to other CBs. Its true that he goes for the safer option 9/10 times. which isnt always a bad thing necessarily but would expect a bit of adventure. His propensity to pass to DDG is more than other CBs.
Man Utd 2:0 Hull City
This is very much petty but I can't help but shake my head at how often he really stretches his legs bringing the ball out (looks like he means business), to then slide it 5 yards sideways. It's like the most pointless feint you'll see at Old Trafford.
Haters silenced again. Another clean sheet with Smalling playing 90. I wonder what they'll focus on now as a negative. Oh yes, it was shit opposition, if he plays against Liverpool we're in trouble right? Bring it on haters bring it on
So much more comfortable at RCB than LCB. He looks like a completely different player.
Solid performance, didn't really have much to do. But I won't change my opinion that Rojo would be better in the side. Good player to have a backup.
Was it not his man who won the header when Hull hit the post?
Bar that neither him or Jones had anything to do. Did Dave even have to make a save?
his man didnt win the header. the ball hit smalling's shoulder and went up
other than a couple of instances, he won every duel. very good.
A good warm up for him, able to shake off any rustiness if needed against Liverpool
Nothing much to do, solid in defense and had a nice run forward when he created a chance similar to the alst game when rashford missed the open goal, should start against Liverpool
He looks so much more comfortable on the right.
It was but you can't blame him for that, Rooney messed up the clearance and it bounced off Rooney's head to Hull's player head, he didn't really won the header.
Similar to other poster assessment: nothing much for him to do. Solid performance defensively, but still very lacking in build up from the back. Beside that run and through ball, still too many go up-field just to pass back. Can't create solid passing rhythm from the back with Jones (playing on his weaker side)
He's starting against Liverpool im sure of it
Its a big thing these days for fans to place so much emphasis on passing out from the back. Its overrated but im sure you'll respond with a novel of an analytic breakdown
Agreed, night and day.
He'll do until Bailly and Rojo are back. Nothing to write home about. Yet again, just a functional performance.
I find that he passes more to the midfielder closest to him. It was actually Jones who was constantly putting DDG under pressure during the LVG era when he played. I remember a few hard passes he made to DDG that almost led to goals for the opposition team. He's not doing any of that this season
I agree, he should be more like Stones I think.
Won't get to argument with bias opinion, just leave it here: a team makes of 11. Better individuals with incompatible attributes don't always make a better team. Majority of British for some reasons can't learn.
LVG had gone for some time now...
- Status