I'm going to be a bit bold and say some failed footballers are jealous of Smalling making it at a big club, coming from a non league club. I always see people bring that up, as to mock him for being a "terrible footballer" they truly believe they are better footballers despite him playing for Man Utd, but they don't even know he spent time at the academy at Millwall before. I'm not saying this pertains to everyone who doesn't rate Smalling, but I know how bitter failed footballers with big ego's can be, and sometimes the hate is too blatant.
Smalling do not give the ball away due to poor technique. He sometimes passes between the lines. He sometimes run forward with the ball. He is very good at winning the ball high up the pitch to keep our attacking momentum up, and good at winning the ball to start of a counter attack. He also scores a lot of goals for a CB. Him not contributing enough offensively for a top team is pure made up non sense. Him being a solid defender most people agree on, but can we put the notion that he doesn't offer anything else at all to rest? It is totally fabricated. Could he offer more? Sure. Should we stop chasing better players? No.
Also. VVD hoof the ball. Ramos hoof the ball. David Luiz hoofs the ball. All defenders do this when under pressure. Without pressure, everyone can play the ball, even Smalling. Different levels of course, but lets not say he can't do it at all because it is just silly.
Smalling has been one of the most consistent CB's in the league. He was probably the best one year, then it was Alderweireld, then it was David Luiz I think, and Vertonghen and this year Van Djik has been the best. Lindelof, Stones, Bailly, Sanchez are all players that can establish themselves over the next years, I would say it is very close between the CB's in top 6 but some of them need to prove their level is more than form. Sanchez started very well this season then he fell of a bit. People said he was a ball-playing CB, now everyone claim he is not, things change and narratives change but some stick by them. You sort of has to judge relative to the circumstances. In similar squad situation to what we have found ourself in, Smalling would have played for every club. Smalling has not even had a partner since Blind, but now he has Lindelof and suddenly we look really good defensively, not only on one side.