Andycoleno9
matchday malcontent
Lindelof is better. I mean Mike is good and all that, but Lindelof is better. For me, at leastHe's our best & most reliable defender.
Lindelof is better. I mean Mike is good and all that, but Lindelof is better. For me, at leastHe's our best & most reliable defender.
Aye definitely is. Think Lindelof could be excellent next to a solid centre back like Koulibaly.Lindelof is better. I mean Mike is good and all that, but Lindelof is better. For me, at least
Most of those are significantly better than Smalling.Considering those teams have the likes of Stones, Lovren, Sokratis, Sanchez, Luiz, etc. starting for them, yes, he wpuld probably start for few of them.
NopeMost of those are significantly better than Smalling.
NopeMost of those are significantly better than Smalling.
Yikes.Most of those are significantly better than Smalling.
Being the best in the worst United team in 30 years doesn't mean he's good enough for us.He's our best & most reliable defender.
For all their flaws, Luiz in Chelsea’s CL winning run and the 17-18 season, and Lovren at the World Cup performed at a level Smalling couldn’t dream of.Yikes.
He's had a higher consistency-level in his performances than all the players in question the last 4 years. Tough claim to say that Lovren has ever reached a level Smalling just could dream about. I've heard a lot of arguments undervaluing Smalling but never heard anyone overrate Lovren in the process before.For all their flaws, Luiz in Chelsea’s CL winning run and the 17-18 season, and Lovren at the World Cup performed at a level Smalling couldn’t dream of.
Stones being better than Smalling is a no brainer, Sánchez is 22 and has the potential to be way better and I wouldn’t say Sokratis is any worse.
Face it, he’s an absolutely bang average player.
Jesus Christ.Most of those are significantly better than Smalling.
He just marked out Messi, Suarez, and Mbappe out of the game. But not good enough for "European Game". Just look at Pallister who was a beast in our European games.Good player in the "comes in and when Pallister is injured" role, but he's never a started for a side aspiring to be at the top of the European game. He's got a lot of good qualities, but he falls way short of what we should be looking at as a Manchester United leader at the back.
He was also dropped from the England squad and dropped this United side several times over the last few years. Like a lot of our players, he's a passenger. He'll have a great game every now and then, in a Mikael Silvestre style, and you'll forget his glaring flaws until the next time he under performs. He's not an elite defender. He's a good one, but he's simply not a top level one.He just marked out Messi, Suarez, and Mbappe out of the game. But not good enough for "European Game".
Yeh.. any of the CB in PL Top 6 could easily do that, and even more.
Hmmm national team argument. Carrick was dropped from England squad fro Gareth Barry. And England preferred Gerrard in midfield to Scholes. Do you think McGuire could do what Smalling has done in his career? marking out Kane, Hazard, Messi, Suarez, and Mbappe out of their games?He was also dropped from the England squad and dropped this United side several times over the last few years. Like a lot of our players, he's a passenger. He'll have a great game every now and then, in a Mikael Silvestre style, and you'll forget his glaring flaws until the next time he under performs. He's not an elite defender. He's a good one, but he's simply not a top level one.
On whether Guardiola, Klopp, Sarri, Emery, or Poch would prefer to have him in their starting 11? Or whether he is a very good defender?Imagine, he dominated Messi and pressured Suarez into uselessnesss and nobody's opinion changed.
Carrick was dropped from the England squad for Owen Hargreaves, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard etc. Chris Smalling was dropped for Phil Jones in a straight choice between the pair. I mean christ. Also, did I say Smalling is on the level of Silvestre? Maybe interpretation of using an example isnt your strong point.Hmmm national team argument. Carrick was dropped from England squad. And England preferred Gerrard in midfield to Scholes.
And the fact that you think SMalling is on SIlvestre level, maybe rating CB is not your strong point.
See, you also think Phil Jones is better than Smalling, because the former is in NT. Man,..Carrick was dropped from the England squad for Owen Hargreaves, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard etc. Chris Smalling was dropped for Phil Jones in a straight choice between the pair. I mean christ. Also, did I say Smalling is on the level of Silvestre? Maybe interpretation of using an example isnt your strong point.
"He's a good one, not an elite one." Yeah, I'm really burying Chris Smalling there ...
Again, never said that did I? I dont pick the England side, but the fact he isnt straight into that squad tells a story of his career. I mean, try and interpret my words correctly. You've been on here long enough.See, you also think Phil Jones is better than Smalling, because the former is in NT. Man,..
I don't see why not? Smalling was labeled Smallenbeuer during LVG regime, a manager who was notorious on ball possession. He even got Players' Player of the Year. And that's a fact.On whether Guardiola, Klopp, Sarri, Emery, or Poch would prefer to have him in their starting 11? Or whether he is a very good defender?
You used the "Smalling wasn't even picked for NT" as argument. I contested that a flawed argument/reasoning. It's as simple as that.Again, never said that did I? I dont pick the England side, but the fact he isnt straight into that squad tells a story of his career. I mean, try and interpret my words correctly. You've been on here long enough.
I think Guardiola and Sarri won't, I think Klopp will - he partnered Hummels with Subotic who isn't a great passer - and I haven't seen enough Spurs or Arsenal but I think Arsenal especially could be improved with Smalling at the back.On whether Guardiola, Klopp, Sarri, Emery, or Poch would prefer to have him in their starting 11? Or whether he is a very good defender?
Good points as always, mate. If we sign de Ligt, I bet my left nut that he'll be partnered with Smalling in big games.He's the only centreback we have who's capapble of putting in a performance that is of a level of a really top class defender. On that form I think anyone except City would play him, or at least he'd be able to play in their team quite easily. The problem is he has too many games where he performs like a clown instead. Against Barcelona for example he was reading the game brillliantly, aggressive, brave, mostly made the right decisions on the ball. Messi and Suarez got very little from him all night apart from one instanc ewhere I think Shaw had to bail him out, but against world class forwards that will happen.
Then however you go back all of one week to the Wolves game, and he's literally spinning round in a circle and rolling into the back of our own net with the ball, for no explicable reason. Not only that but at the end of the game you have to concede that this was one of his more credible attempts at defending.
Lindelof has been a lot better this season but I still think he has weaknesses and struggles in certain situations. Jones has the odd 30 minutes where he looks like the best defender in the world, but then even in the same game he'll boot the ball into his own goal and injure one of his team mates. Rojo is dead I think. Bailly had his soul destroyed and eaten by PSG.
In terms of the other top six sides. I think it's hard to argue that any of our defenders would make Arsenal's defending any worse. Rudiger starts regularly for Chelsea and he's basically black Phil Jones. City have decent defenders but defend by never letting the opposition get the ball. Liverpool have Van Dijk...Lovren is still at the cllub and at one point they were playing Fabinho at centreback. The grass isn't so green as people make out. There are a lack of world class centrebacks to go around.
It’s not really overrating Lovren to say that he’s reached a higher level than Smalling. If Smalling’s consistency level over the past four years were anything like you suggest he wouldn’t have been constantly rotated with United’s other mediocre CBs (and even sometimes a non defender like Blind and complete chumps like McNair and Blackett) by multiple managers.He's had a higher consistency-level in his performances than all the players in question the last 4 years. Tough claim to say that Lovren has ever reached a level Smalling just could dream about. I've heard a lot of arguments undervaluing Smalling but never heard anyone overrate Lovren in the process before.