He's quite good at centre half and generally has been whenever he's played there for us. Always said this.
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Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 41
- Clean sheets
- 16
- Goals
- 1
- Assists
- 2
- Yellow cards
- 6
- Status
The big test will be against Arsenal, but so far I'm 3 games at CB he's been very good, no complaints at all.
Won many headers today and was generally very good on the ball. Looked more comfortable with Jones next to him which Is strange because you would associate Blind as the player to provide the calmness, but I think that's due to Blind not being a RCB and Jones is.
Blaming Rojo for the goal because his clearance was mis-hit before the free kick was conceded (and not blaming Darmian for conceding the free kick and not blaming Jones, Pogba or Fellaini for letting Van der Hoorn have a free header right in the centre of the penalty area) is quite incredible backtracking through the course of events just to find a way of blaming Rojo. You could probably keep going further back and find an occurrence where Rooney mislaid a pass to blame Rooney for it. It's just bonkers.
Mis-hits happen all the time, all over the pitch. The goal was conceded because the defending was garbage from the set piece. 3 players (2 of which are enormous) could have challenged for that ball and won it. None of them did. None of those 3 players were Rojo.
Mis-hits happen all the time, all over the pitch. The goal was conceded because the defending was garbage from the set piece. 3 players (2 of which are enormous) could have challenged for that ball and won it. None of them did. None of those 3 players were Rojo.
Indeed.
Would have him over Smalling any day of the week. Funny how people are beginning to warm to him now. Would be ironic getting moved on just as he is coming into his own. I say stick with him.
He has been good lately. Hopefully, his form continues.
He always gives his all and I have all the time for players like him to grow/improve a bit even as a squad player.
He always gives his all and I have all the time for players like him to grow/improve a bit even as a squad player.
Definitely a CB it seems. Pretty solid once again. Arsenal will be the real test (if he starts).
Smalling was one of the best defenders in the League last season and Rojo has been pretty awful since arrival. A few good games at CB and you would genuinely play him ahead of Smalling?
No problem with him on the bench, can cover back four but I don't see him as a starting PL quality CB. Van Dijk in Jan please.
Loves the club, doesn't back away from physicality, decent builder of play from the back, great pace for his position, doesn't make a big deal coming off the bench. I daresay SAF would've loved him.
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ROJOISRED.
Just wanted to post that.
Just wanted to post that.
Smalling would've probably headed the ball away that led to Swansea's consolation goal. Rojo is not first choice quality. Let's not get carried away over a comfortable performance against a team that hasn't won since day one
Smalling had a few good games granted but one of the best defenders? No chance! Will never get the Smalling love-fest. I would play anybody above Smalling. He is a bang average, one dimensional who is absolute shite on the ball and always looks scared whenever a player gets anywhere near him. His grappling and shirt-pulling is legendary and I would love to see the stats on how many backwards and sideways passes he has made. We looked really solid at the beginning of the season with Blind and Bailly until he came back in the side. At least Rojo adds something to our attacking game like Evra used to.
It's like everyone has just jumped on the let's bash Rojo train since he arrived. He's been no worse than Depay, Schneiderlin, Rooney, Fellaini, Smalling etc. I'm really happy that he is showing some form at last. How long it will last, that remains to be seen. Only time will tell.
He doesn't get off that easily. Defenders can't make the mistakes attackers can. Still, I credit him for trying to play the ball with some control. Smalling would likely have just headed it anywhere he could.
Jones is mostly to blame for the goal but Rojo's duff clearance was definitely a factor.
The next few games should give him a chance to prove himself or otherwise. Given his whole body of work so far he is good enough to be in the rotation but definitely not starting XI.
If you go back a few months, I've always been a big supporter of Rojo's on here. I got slated for saying he was better than Smalling but the stats don't lie. He's a miles better player than him. Strong, fast, aggressive, skillful, good tackler, good passer and loves the club. He is never a LB but we are seeing the best of him at CB now. He is comfortably our best CB now that Bailly is injured in my opinion. I honestly think he can be like a Sergio Ramos type for us.
If we go with Smalling and Jones against Arsenal, we will get thrashed. He will get stuck in against the likes of Giroud and Ozil.
When we were actually linked with Ramos but we already have Il Nuovo Ramos
Smalling was one of the best centre backs in the league last year where as Rojo has been honking. Schneiderlan and Depay I'll accept and Rooney has been awful for a few seasons. But Rojo is way below on what we have seen in an United shirt compared so far with Smalling. Saying otherwise is just wrong.
You are kidding right? What we have seen from him so far is- Sloppy in possession slow and cumbersome and someone who switches off at set pieces. Positionally suspect with a tendency to be rash. Yes he's improved the last few games but truth is he has a lot to go to convince other than a performance vs City second string Burnley and a poor Swans and a dodgy one versus Fernabace.
He is not world class or best defender last season for sure, but he is good defender nonetheless, his speed and height are his best attributes, has some weakness such as lack of composure, but for me what annoys me the most about him is is lack of technical abilities, every time he got the ball, I'm sure 90% of his passes is to the left/right back, no composure or confidence with the ball whatsoever. You'd think that SAF used to play him on the right back in order for him to fix his main deficiency, but here we are more than 5 years after his debut his ability on the ball probably is almost the same as when he first start for us
Nobody expect him to be able to pass like Hummels or Boateng, but at least be confidence with the ball on your feet, how can a guy who trains all days all year long look so scared when he has the ball?? I'm pretty sure Neuer is a better passer than he is
Rojo is much better than the ball, but he also has some weakness such as too rash in making a tackle, and he is less good in the air than Smalling, but when you look all top team, all the centre back has the ability to play from the back which is so important these days, I think that's why Mou prefer Rojo now, and that rashness of him will get better by experience I think
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after three games:-D let him have the season Smalling had and see how it turns out first before making such plain statements
Completely agree! Very under-rated on here and don't understand why.
Exactly what I said, he just never takes a player on and will just pass it back or sideways then point to the player next to him telling where to pass. He even looks clumsy on the ball. He really is an average player.
It's not a plain statement. I've never rated Smalling. How people can say he was one of the best defenders is just wrong. But this is the Rojo thread. I hope his form does continue and would be happy to see him get a run in the team. A Bailly / Rojo centre partnership would be pretty solid for me.
Still amazed that Smalling's superb aug-nov is now being stretched out into a full season of top form. He was bang average from december onwards and got worse as the season went on.
Way to exaggerate with "sloppy in possession" and "slow and cumbersome". Also, he may switch off during set pieces, but literally none of his mistakes has ever cost us points.
Finally: You keep on discrediting the performances he's had because of the opponents, but thing is Smalling (or any of our CBs bar Bailly) have had howlers against both top class and inferior opposition.
No one is comparing him to Cannavaro, stop acting like people who rate him are overrating him already/using him to insult Smalling.
Yes sounds very logical, Rojo who had just good three games as a CB and never looked very assured before in the position and Bailly who played a coupleof games for us too.. Smalling is no nonsense defender but I guess you are the one who highly rate Stones or Luiz.. I am done here with you, if you never rated Smalling even after his wonderful last season and want to rate two guys who are just yet to prove themselves, it's way beyond ridicoulous and I won't waste my time here:-)
Yes because there is nothing in between wonderful and absolute shocking these days, fans on forums can't really have a go without a "strong" opinion these days... He was still decent but yes he was not as dominant as his first half of the season... If we bought him for 25mil. and he wasn't english probably noone would consider his second part of the season meh..
I think he'd get slated even more if we'd spent 25m on him and he wasn't English, just look at fecking Rojo as your example, you'd think he's the worst player to ever play for Manchester United & Argentina if you listened to fans on here. The truth is, Rojo looked very good for a while at CB in his first season and was a big part of the reason for our good run of form that got us 4th, from that left CB position he played LVG Fellaini tactics perfectly with his good passing between the lines. For some bizarre reason in season 2 LVG decided Blind was his man at CB and Rojo was gonna be left back cover, and let's be honest, Rojo is not a good left back.
I like Smalling as a defender, but last season got blown out of all proportion after those first few superb months, after that he had some very average games and some very poor ones too. Biggest problem of all though is the lads ability on the ball which really hampers us as a team.
I'm not discrediting his performances I'm taking them into context who they were against. I'm saying he's been dreadful since signing in fact worse (honking) I hope he turns it around but to say he's been better than or is better than Smalling on what he has shown is complete nonsense.
You're talking about the same Chris Smalling who Vardy said was his toughest opponent last season? Smalling never cowers from a challenge and one on one he's a beast. Statistically none of our other CBs even compare. He's limited on the ball but he's United's best and most reliable center back and its not even close. A few decent games from Rojo doesn't change that. Rojo is still yet to fully settle into this United team and hasn't produced a sustained run of form in a red shirt to trully cement himself as a genuine starter in two seasons here. At least you should admit Smalling has had a purple patch at the very minimum even if you don't rate him over Rojo. Rojo hasn't had one. As for shirt pulling, it happens every weekend in this league and one of our best CBs of all time was even a worse 'shirt puller' than Smalling and anyone else in our team. Vidic. Not defending the act, it has to stop but its part and parcel with the game and most modern CBs get away with it often.
Vardy on Smalling 2015/16 :
“I’d have to say Chris Smalling this year; he never gives you a moment’s rest.
“It’s better to have him on your team than against.”
Sounds just like a defender who gets scared when opponents get close to him.
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He's been good at centre back. Not perfect but no howlers and none of the incessant shirt pulling that we see from others.
Give him a run of games and hope he stays fit and we could have a good player here.
Give him a run of games and hope he stays fit and we could have a good player here.
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It's almost as if as fans we're only allowed to like 2 central defenders at any time, its madness.
Instead of congratulating Rojo, you're all in here saying how Smalling is bang average/overrated/shite etc.
We cry out for depth in all areas of the squad, then when we do have depth, some of our fans turn into little kids who have their 'favourites' and everybody else is suddenly shite.
Grow up ffs, it's possible to like Bailly, Blind, Smalling, Rojo AND Jones all at the same time. It's possible to criticise them when it's warranted, it's also possible to praise the advantages that each player has over a different player.
These things don't have to be mutually exclusive.
On topic: I think Rojo has been playing well, but I don't expect him to remain in the squad for PL games when all our defenders are fully fit (if that's possible), but he'll certainly step in for Europa & Cup competitions.
Instead of congratulating Rojo, you're all in here saying how Smalling is bang average/overrated/shite etc.
We cry out for depth in all areas of the squad, then when we do have depth, some of our fans turn into little kids who have their 'favourites' and everybody else is suddenly shite.
Grow up ffs, it's possible to like Bailly, Blind, Smalling, Rojo AND Jones all at the same time. It's possible to criticise them when it's warranted, it's also possible to praise the advantages that each player has over a different player.
These things don't have to be mutually exclusive.
On topic: I think Rojo has been playing well, but I don't expect him to remain in the squad for PL games when all our defenders are fully fit (if that's possible), but he'll certainly step in for Europa & Cup competitions.
I expected Rojo to be much better as a central defender once he moved there. He's looked quite comfortable, and he hasn't even shied away from the physical challenges that the likes of Diego Costa and Fernando Llorente presented to him. He just looks more natural there, and he seems to have a better idea of where to position himself and how to defend more than he does at left back.
His man-marking is his biggest issue, which is why he gets more exposed at left back, but as a central defender, he's relied more on his good positioning and aerial ability to defend rather than his man-marking. His ability on the ball is also coming to the fore now as his passing out from the back has made us more assured going forward. If we are to use him anywhere, it has to be as a central defender. He shouldn't be used as a left back except under emergency situations.
His man-marking is his biggest issue, which is why he gets more exposed at left back, but as a central defender, he's relied more on his good positioning and aerial ability to defend rather than his man-marking. His ability on the ball is also coming to the fore now as his passing out from the back has made us more assured going forward. If we are to use him anywhere, it has to be as a central defender. He shouldn't be used as a left back except under emergency situations.
I've always thought he was okay at center back, he needs to stay as far away from left back as possible though.
I will be amazed and shocked if him, Jones and Darmian don't get massively exposed against Arsenal in a couple of weeks time.
Same here. I hope Smalling and Blind will be available to start. Its two weeks away anyways so we should get a few regulars back
Darmian might. Sanchez did him before. But Jones isn't a bad defender. He gets stuck in a lot. I trust him over Smalling and Blind (at CB). But we still need to buy a good CB in January. Fonte would be a good short term buy.
I actually don't rate Smalling at all technically, he was however our best defender last season - guess VG was very good tactically in that sense! But to compare him to Rojo is ridiculous IMO, Rojo has been bang average so far bar the last couple of games. Let's see how he gets on against Arsenal... Obviously I hope he does well but am expecting a return to form!
But like I said, the same guy often compared to him in this thread (Smalling) has more than his fair share of howlers against both top and lower opposition. He wasn't dreadful since signing. He was a solid but unspectacular CB at the start, got injured in his first derby against City (wherein he was playing well) and LVG never let him back to the team as a CB, only an LB. I don't understand why the Caf thinks you're either a worldlie or crap, there's plenty of place in between.
Yes, Smalling has had a better time at United, that I agree with. However, let's cut out the Smallingbauer crap and call it like it is for him, just as we do for Rojo, because he has been far from world class.
Before I get slated off for jumping on the Rojo bandwagon now, here's what I said at the start of the year
Man Utd 1:1 Arsenal
Can he not feckin clear the ball to one of our players once in while, so bad at it just randomly clears without even any intention.
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