Oh I was already taking it for granted that Evans will go, but I see 2 CB's coming in as neither Smalling or Jones have shown nearly enough this season to warrant starting for a club with United's ambitions. To me it's one new CB for Rojo to compete with and one new CB for Jones or Smalling to compete with.
12
Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 29
- Clean sheets
- 8
- Goals
- 4
- Assists
- 0
- Yellow cards
- 3
- Red cards
- 1
Oh I was already taking it for granted that Evans will go, but I see 2 CB's coming in as neither Smalling or Jones have shown nearly enough this season to warrant starting for a club with United's ambitions. To me it's one new CB for Rojo to compete with and one new CB for Jones or Smalling to compete with.
In my opinion Smalling has been better than Rojo in most games, including yesterday. But if we sign a right-footed CB, it will be Smalling who makes way.
Pretty much this. Rojo is playing as poorly as our other defenders, too many times he had to be bailed out
That's true, but I think hi confidence isn't really the good kind of confidence.
He's not perfect, but he is the best we have. I think he struggled early on not having a leader like Vidic beside him, but from what I have seen he is slowly becoming the leader. He is definitely more vocal than I can remember, but I suppose with Rojo not being great at English it's even more important.
Really love those squawka articles, ofcourse stats can be misleading but similar to the Herrera version, I think they're right.
Get in a center half to partner him. Someone great on the ball who reads the game well. Just get stones in so we can have a somewhat reliable pairing at the back that don't have to constantly be bailed out by our keeper. Rojo, Evans and Jones just aren't good enough to be starting games for us when the whole squad is fully fit at CB.
From the article, for those not wanting to leave the site.
There's some illuminating information in there for those who dont see he's clearly our best CB.
We still need 1 top class CB if we hope to have success in the future, but in terms of what we have right now Chris Smalling is our rock, the glue that keeps things together at the back
Their slow, metronomic build-up play has seen the centre backs and deeper midfielders caught holding on to the ball for too long, or being pressured into misplacing a vital pass. Central defenders Jonny Evans and Marcos Rojo lead the defensive errors tally at United, but there is no pattern to the rest of the top eight.
One name that isn’t on that list is Chris Smalling, who has continued to come under scrutiny after a difficult couple of years at Old Trafford. It means that the England regular has become an easy target for abuse from all quarters, but this season there is no logic behind the vilification.
It is too easy to generalise when condemning United’s defenders by saying they have all been ‘as terrible as each other’, but if you take each performance at face value with no agenda, Smalling has been a class above his central defensive colleagues when he has featured this campaign.
It was tough to see a future for the 25-year-old defender when he was needlessly sent off in the defeat in the Manchester derby earlier this season. However since that incident, which saw van Gaal label Smalling as “stupid,” he has flourished at the heart of United’s defence where others have struggled. The sending off has been Smalling’s ‘light-bulb’ moment, and he finally looks like he could be on the long road to redemption.
In fact, Smalling is rated as the best defender in the Premier League by the stats this season per-90-minutes played. He is also ranked as the fourth highest performing player in the league for players who have made 10 or more appearances. This may seem slightly far-fetched to many, but there appears no getting away from the fact that Smalling has been in great form this term.
Smalling is the highest-rated defender in the Premier League per-90-minutes played this term
To learn from your mistakes and come back stronger is a great trait to have. When criticism has been flying at him from all angles, Smalling has faced up to his red card nightmare and immediately looked to re-build his shattered reputation on the pitch to great effect.
Before the incident, United failed to win a game with Smalling in the side, but since his return from suspension they have only lost once in 14 league games.
When Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic left the club in the summer, it was supposed to be Evans who became the leader of United’s defence. But the Northern Irishman has had a nightmare campaign, filled with horrendous performances, and he has fallen down the pecking order in the process.
Surprisingly, it has been Smalling who has taken on this leadership role in recent months. Although there is a long way to go before he reaches the levels of Vidic and Ferdinand in their prime, the stats prove that the former Fulham man has played at a level above his team-mates this season.
Smalling’s stats are largely superior to his fellow defensive team-mates this season
As you can see, Smalling has won more aerial duels, made more clearances and completed more passes-per-90 than his fellow centre backs. Only Phil Jones and Rojo trumped his interception tally too, showing that he has been far and away United’s best all-round defender under van Gaal.
The clumsiness we have seen in the past has subsided somewhat recently. He is finally beginning to utilise his size and presence to dominate the aerial battle and clear the ball from danger frequently. Make no bones about it, defending is a skill, and to make so many defensive contributions shows that Smalling has developed his game drastically so far this season.
All the best central defenders are a force in both boxes, and there are signs that Smalling is finally using his considerable bulk to good effect. The 25-year-old has chipped in with three goals, including two against Burnley in the last league game. He is now a major threat at set-pieces, like Vidic used to be.
Smalling’s three goals this season
In the modern game speed is a key attribute for players all over the pitch, and Smalling has that in abundance. It was recently revealed by James Wilson that the central defender was, on average, United’s quickest player in training.
Wilson told the club’s official Facebook account: “We wear GPS tracking devices in training and they tell you how far you have run and how fast. Obviously there are players like Luke Shaw, Ashley Young, myself and a few others, but going on stats it is probably Chris Smalling. That is maybe not who you would think! But Chris has got a pretty good speed.”
But where in the past his clumsiness and error-prone nature rendered his pace and athleticism futile, it has been an asset to him since the red card at City because, if he does make a small misjudgement, it allows him to recover his position quickly.
However the most impressive aspect about his game has been his ability on the ball, which has been a major hindrance to him in the past. Playing at right-back certainly worked against him, as it saw his name dragged through the mud frequently, but it did help him develop his short passing and composure, even if his crossing left something to be desired regularly.
Now that he is playing in his natural position every week, the experience he had at full-back could be aiding him more than we think. He has begun to show confidence on the ball, and glide out of defence in possession to start attacks more often. There are still some dodgy moments, but his reliability has improved. His 89% passing accuracy this season is the highest of any United defender by some distance.
Smalling has an 89% passing accuracy this season
There was a moment in the second half against Burnley where he intercepted the ball on the edge of his own box, fed it out wide and almost got on the end of a cross to claim his hat-trick at the other end within seconds. This passage of play showed off his new-found maturity, as well as his speed and confidence on the ball.
Although he may not have won over the majority of the United fan-base, never mind the countless neutrals scrutinising his every move, if he continues to perform in this manner on a consistent basis, it won’t be long before they begin to appreciate him slightly more.
What he cannot afford to do is either pick-up another injury or allow his current level to drop.
Let’s get one thing straight – there is a significant way to go until he becomes a top class centre half, there is no getting away from that. However the performances since his sending off at the Etihad have shown a whole new side to Smalling, and there are signs that he may have finally begun to live up to his potential.
There's some illuminating information in there for those who dont see he's clearly our best CB.
We still need 1 top class CB if we hope to have success in the future, but in terms of what we have right now Chris Smalling is our rock, the glue that keeps things together at the back
Like LVG?
He doesn't seem interested in defenders, just deep deep deep deep deep deep deep lying passers
I think hes been good too tbh.
However hes not even first choice is he? Seems to be behind Jones in the pecking order, also his injury issues are still a worry.
that's true.I think he has been decent this season but I'm not sure how accurate that article is. I can think of quite a few mistakes Smalling has made that has led to chances, the most recent ones being the hacked clearance against Preston (not a huge mistake) but in the game before vs Burnley he missed his kick which gave Ings a chance from 6 yards out.
I think when it comes to the errors stat its more about Rojo's kind of mistakes passing the ball to an opponent or getting tackled leading to shots against their team. With the Smalling vs. Burnley one it'll count as a clearance (gone wrong) and also the sites just keep the stats from the league, not cup games which explains why preston wouldnt be on there.
yeah I was surprised when Chris was benched after top performances since city game. Then Jones came out of nowhere and back in starting XI even his performances were really not good. But maybe it had something to do with Jones taking corners..
Smalling needs good run of games again. He showed great confidence after some of these games but after benched looking quite unconcentrated that much. but he will be good even in last few games he was our best defender.
For the next season we may need one world class leftie to replace Evans who needs to play elsewhere. I think Everton could snatch him and we could get discount on some of the players we need more some of CM's Mccarthy and more advanced Barkley, also winger/striker is the priority in the next window before adding any defender..
Isn't it more likely that LVG will be looking at getting in a CB to partner Rojo, given that he signed him? For that matter, he seems to prefer Jones over Smalling as well.
Enjoyed that article. Definitely agree with it.
Hold on a second though, they really ranked Smalling & Jones as the top 2 CBs in the league this season...
Smalling is class. The stint at RB stunted him, if anything.
Can't be far off it statistically. I haven't read the article yet but thinking back to the goals we have conceded it was mostly Evans and Blackett at fault early doors wasn't it?
He's our best central defender but you don't need those wanky stats to tell you that.
His clearance against Preston the other night was shite and could well have led to a goal, demonstrating just how pointless these statistics really are.
Smalling and Rojo at the back, for me.
His clearance against Preston the other night was shite and could well have led to a goal, demonstrating just how pointless these statistics really are.
Smalling and Rojo at the back, for me.
Because Jones' defensive lapses arent accounted for. I dont think any site carries a stat for how many times a CB switches off and his man gets on the end of a pass or something. As I mentioned before, there is a defensive errors stat but it only covers specific things.
Now if Jones wasn't making those mistakes every other game then he would be one of the top CBs. But he is making those mistakes and it'll always give the opponent a chance, which is exactly the opposite of what you should be looking for from your CBs
Jones (and Rojo) score highly because of work rate and winning the ball with tackles and interceptions a lot compared to their peers. That doesnt always translate to looking comfortable and assured at the back, it just means they win the ball a lot.
The only defender we have that can consistently win headers in our own box, and we drop him. A Jones/Rojo partnership is horrible.
Just another LVG cock up.
Just another LVG cock up.
Agreed. Feck knows what he's seeing in Jones, honestly.
Its not like Rojo has done well
I've said it time and time again on here, Smalling won't get on ahead of Jones due to his passing ability.
Jones' inability to head the ball with consistency is a massive issue. I agree, Smalling shouldn't be on the bench.
Really? I think he has.
Looks as if he will only get better also. He can reach a level that Smalling, Jones or Evans aren't capable of imo.
He's made multiple mistakes losing the ball
Another good decision by LvG to leave him out. Bah..
Not sure what Smalling would have done to prevent either of the goals?
Why would you need your one CB with actual defensive instincts?
And it's not like we need someone who's good in heading, anyway. We were threatening from every corner we got.
He's a better defender than Jones or Rojo and should play. At this stage, ball playing skills are secondary
Against West Ham and Swansea, we looked terrible dealing with set pieces. I have little faith when it comes to Jones or Rojo dealing with set pieces. Atleast with Smalling even if he does hold shirts deals with them.
It is easy to say that he would have done a difference today, but looking at a bigger perspective i was unhappy with LvG not choosing him when he had played the last few games.
Rate him our best defender, even though he has his weaknesses when it comes to passing out from the back.
Rate him our best defender, even though he has his weaknesses when it comes to passing out from the back.
It annoys me that van Gaal has this "philosophy" of players coming back through the U/21s or whatever but Jones seems to just walk straight back in the team. It's not like he's a world class CB. Would have preferred Smalling to start. We miss his presence from set-pieces (both attacking and defending). If Rojo and Jones keep performing like that though then I suspect he will be back in soon.
Stupid decision to drop him against Swansea. Very stupid. Jones looked extra timid out there.
Smalling + Rojo should be our main CB pairing. Get it sorted LvG.