No, he hasnt. He's played with Jones and back to normal Lindelof
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Exactly. Smalling and Jones are peas from a pod. A rotten, putrid pod.
Thats racist.
They might both be white English CBs but they're actually quite different people.
For what he's in the team for he had to do better against Calvert-Lewin, that had nothing to do with his ability on the ball. Unfortunately over his United career overall he hasn't been dominant and consistent enough which is why he still gets stick. Too often he's not Mike Smalling.
De Gea is in the team to stop shots. 2 players beat him from range.
While not perfect, our CBs and GK are the two parts of our team that actually sort of work.
Smalling isn't the problem, this is scapegoating an easy target. Our midfield today didin't even bother with any defensive work and left us exposed. That would be fine if they bothered to attack but they didn't do that either. To be honest I'm not sure what the feck they were doing today
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Yes he is. Just because the midfield is a problem does not mean that the defence is any less of one. Both parts are as bad as each other. We need two new full backs and two new CB's. I don't care who you perm from Smalling, Jones, Shaw, Rojo, Lindelof Darmian, Dalot, Young or Valencia not one of them is good enough. And staying with the CBs it not just Vidic and Ferdinand that the current crop do not stack up to. They are also no match for Stam, Pallister or Bruce.
You don't solve a crap midfield by having a first class defence. Neither do you fix a crap defence by having a first class midfield. Both areas are in urgent need of fixing.
Firstly I was talking about the game, and secondly if the midfield doesn't do its defensive job is won't matter who we have at the back.
As for Smalling he is the best CB at the club and so is not the problem. Can he be upgraded yes, should he be before any other CB at the club a resounding no.
He is actually someone we should keep even if we sign 2 CBs
None of the players you mentioned had to play with as embarrassing a midfield as we played with today. Any CB will look worse when they have a lot more to do because midfield can't be bothered to help them defend.
Defending is a team job. Not just 1 or 2 players.
Its no good having a midfield doing a defensive job if those who are first and foremost employed to defend are as pathetic as our lot are.
And vice versa being the point. We could have had VVD and Gomes playing CB today with that midfield showing we would have got a hammering still
The least of our problems.
If Ole wants to play out from the back then Smalling has to be nothing more than a squad player.
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It's funny seeing people defend him and Jones but slaughter pogba
Worst game in a very long time. Lost headers that he normally wins, and I have no idea what he was doing when Walcott scored.
Unbelievable that people are defending him after yesterday. How you can genuinely see the game yesterday and come away with the conclusion that Chris Smalling was anything but one of our worst players is beyond me.
Either on a wind up or are Chris Smalling FC and have had there standards lowered.
Either on a wind up or are Chris Smalling FC and have had there standards lowered.
Come on, It's Calvert-Lewin a player probably not even Premier League quality.
He isn't our best CB, but the very fact its even up for debate shows why we miles away from being a top team. Smalling has had a million chances, and like Jones, Rojo and Bailly he isn't good enough.
I wouldn't have a problem with him as a squad player, he's OK at defending a lot of the time. But he's a first choice, nailed on CB for us.
Give me Wes Brown any day, and then consider that Wes was only ever a squad player .
Give me Wes Brown any day, and then consider that Wes was only ever a squad player .
If we want to play out the back why would you accept Smalling as a squad player? Look at Barca for example, would they accept a defender who can't play out of the back as a squad player? No - even their back ups fit the way their first team wants to play.
He doesn't fit how we want to play so it doesn't make sense keeping him as a squad player.
Because, realistically, we're not gonna ship off the entire first team squad at the same time.
If we're looking to get rid of CBs, Smalling wouldnt be first, or second, on my list.
He’s done well for Everton recently and is key to how they’ve improved their results. They have the most set piece goals in the PL and one of his strengths is winning flick ons like that yesterday from the long throw, they actually scored against Arsenal from a long throw as well, in that game he won 8 aerial duals. They’ve utilised the long ball too as he’s very good at holding up the ball. That said, I think they’ll look to upgrade on him in the summer. I think he’s Premier League level though as he’s useful in helping sides to win ugly. I’m sure a manager of a lesser side will find a use for him.
Atrocious yesterday. Wtf was that? That Calvert-Lewin chap is a fecking horrible striker and we made him look like Ibrahimovic. Feck off Smalling and your stupid bun.
Yep. Pretty shit. I've not seen a performance that mind bendingly bad from him for the last five years, even with how much of a clusterfeck that defence was and Jones going off injured. It was one of those 1/10 all-round individual performances that people hyperbolize in here every week when he passes a ball into touch. Still waiting for that proper partner and two actual fullbacks. I'm beginning to think we'll never see it before he retires.
He's definitely not leadership material. Despite cellotaping our defence together for the last five years it is really odd not to see him emerge as a proper leader.
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After his next good game, people will be on to the "haters". Like a lot of the players, he's not good enough. Period.
That’s was horrific, not the fact that it misses it target by a mile but the sheer unnecessary power he hits it with. Michael Owen always said he had poor pass appreciation, he played with him, in that he over or under hits passes often.
Like I said yesterday Southgate was spot on about him and Jones. If Keane and Dunk played for United I don't think we'd be any worse off.
He sees to players closing on him and panics. It's what he does, panics when he has the ball. I'm convinced our problems as a team start from there. Just look at Rashford's reaction?
Of course he was. I only disagreed with the way he did it. This guy treats the ball like nuclear waste.
Came into the game at 2-0 down, when I realised it was Jones and Smalling with Matic in front of them it all made sense.
These are three of our most senior players and they're all spineless cowards. No wonder there's never a response.
These are three of our most senior players and they're all spineless cowards. No wonder there's never a response.
You can't be a top club if Smalling is your starting CB consistently in this current age of football.
He's just terrible on the ball.
Jones isn't much better either.
He's just terrible on the ball.
Jones isn't much better either.
Smalling not being good enough for Manchester United has been an obvious fact and been talked about over and over again for 5 years, but nope we still have people on here defending him and a club happy to have him starting regularly. He should be a backup at best.
Southgate binned him after 2 minutes of being England manager. We still have fans who think he is our best defender.
Southgate binned him after 2 minutes of being England manager. We still have fans who think he is our best defender.
I've defended him in the past.
But it's too far now, he's a completely average centre back that is only here because we're a shambles and can't buy anyone better.
But it's too far now, he's a completely average centre back that is only here because we're a shambles and can't buy anyone better.
He is. You say 5 years but we have bought 3 cbs in that time and he always ends up first choice as the rest have been awful. The same will happen this summer unless we buy two cbs. Either that or just gamble on Tuanzebe and a new signing.Smalling not being good enough for Manchester United has been an obvious fact and been talked about over and over again for 5 years, but nope we still have people on here defending him and a club happy to have him starting regularly. He should be a backup at best.
Southgate binned him after 2 minutes of being England manager. We still have fans who think he is our best defender.
It’s only the agenda driven Smalling FC fans who constantly defend this clown.
So we are just going to use that term anytime someone defends a player? Doesnt have the same ring to it as Martial FC imo.
I think even Smallings defenders would admit he probably needs upgrading long term, the issue is you could look at our squad and point out at least 7 or 8 players who need changing first including his fellow CBs (admittedly Lindelhof has shown signs of improvement in the second half of the season)
Worst performance from him in a long time but of course his detractors think that this happens regularly.
@Cassidy made a very good point regarding the midfield’s defensive work. Currently we don’t have natural DMs who can break up play consistently. No matter how good your defense is, without proper screening from midfield it will get overloaded. People give LvG stick for having a great defensive record due to regularly using 2 DMs but that just supports how defending is done as a team.
Well, there are definitely those who are only interested in giving him stick but never seem to give credit where it’s due. Fair game to call them out I suppose.
I agree that he’s a problem but I think the team handles a high press poorly as a whole and those who are supposedly much better on the ball aren’t really stellar in terms of composure on the ball.
@Cassidy made a very good point regarding the midfield’s defensive work. Currently we don’t have natural DMs who can break up play consistently. No matter how good your defense is, without proper screening from midfield it will get overloaded. People give LvG stick for having a great defensive record due to regularly using 2 DMs but that just supports how defending is done as a team.
Smalling is our best defender and it's sad that we have wasted his best years by frequently surrounding him with bad players.
That being said he turns 30 this year and I think he's started to lose that yard of pace he had over most forwards. Because of this I would like to see us start to phase him out next season. Sign a left sided CB this summer and use that player + Smalling in games where we will need to do a lot of defending, especially against big powerful forwards and that player + Lindelof in games where we should have most of the ball and will look to dictate play.
That being said he turns 30 this year and I think he's started to lose that yard of pace he had over most forwards. Because of this I would like to see us start to phase him out next season. Sign a left sided CB this summer and use that player + Smalling in games where we will need to do a lot of defending, especially against big powerful forwards and that player + Lindelof in games where we should have most of the ball and will look to dictate play.
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