You could argue he won us the game!
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Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 55
- Clean sheets
- 24
- Goals
- 2
- Assists
- 1
- Yellow cards
- 13
- Red cards
- 1
- Status
Behave, you're getting pelters for that in the pod.
I'm a big fan of Smalling but I'd say hes let himself down for the last period of the season. However its not like the defence around him are any better. Having to play with Rojo and Valencia (or worse) as your fullbacks will be a challenge for any CB
Palace were playing for pens until he got sent off... game opened up when he got sent off as they pushed on.
They were two one one against Blind if he didn't grab, total bollocks for the commentators to say it wasn't necessary! Can't believe, totally the right call and we got away with it. 7/10 despite Red Card which is crazy.
Necessary and professional
I don't know why he is being criticized
I don't know why he is being criticized
They were 70 yards from our goal even if they got past him, he wasn't the last man and they'd still need to beat DDG. It was a stupid tackle to make, this wasn't a Solskjaer v Newcastle scenario.
Come off it, if we hadn't won we'd be slating him! Poor decision making from him thankfully it didn't matter!
He should never have been in a position where he had to make that foul though. That was entirely his own doing.
Wrong. That was my opinion during the match as well
Idiotic decision, thought he'd truly turned a corner after the City game last year but still has much to work on to reach the top. Still think he's a quality defender though and is one player LVG can point to as a success under him
He's grabbed and pulled too much all season. This time it happened to be at a bad time and at a bad position. The toll was due sooner or later, and we almost paid for it.
I can't look at it as one off. He damn near made it a habit.
I can't look at it as one off. He damn near made it a habit.
I agree. He's surrounded by makeshift full backs and an inconsistent midfield.
Regardless, it was yet another instance of how stupid he can be - against City last year, Newcastle earlier in the season and today. He's extremely lucky as he'd have been blamed had we lost.
This. For all the good he's done this season, there's still the annoying habit of getting stuck in way too high up the pitch, and then pulling and grabbing.
Did the right thing to stop the break and take the red, but it wouldn't have been necessary had he not charged up against the bloke 35 yards from goal in the first place.
Needs to watch more tape of Rio and learn how to be patient.
I thought me made the right decision when he got into that position.
His mistake was getting too tight in the first place, but not sure he had much other choice when he got beaten.
His mistake was getting too tight in the first place, but not sure he had much other choice when he got beaten.
Foolish and lucky.
The mistake was getting tight when there was so much room for them to run in to. But once he got tight, he really had to haul him down. Not excusing it though. He had to stand off him in the first instance, especially knowing the two men who would end up chasing that counter attack would be Blind and/or Carrick. Tired legs, tired minds, we won the fecking cup so there's no point in picking it apart, especially as he's been one of our most dependable players in a pretty horrid season.
Thought he was decent up until that point anyway. It was a game of so many errors from all over the pitch, very scrappy, lots of grappling at every set piece, every cross. He made a lot of his usual monstrous headers deep in the box. His passing was very good too.
The absolute least of our worries right now.
Thought he was decent up until that point anyway. It was a game of so many errors from all over the pitch, very scrappy, lots of grappling at every set piece, every cross. He made a lot of his usual monstrous headers deep in the box. His passing was very good too.
The absolute least of our worries right now.
He had no other choice. He could have done nothing and Palace would have scored. Nothing to say about this red card really - especially after the win.
Not for me, both bookings were weak and he should have performed better for both in my view.
Overall he has had a good season but he has struggled at times. His decision making isn't great and he cannot pass. Hopefully Mourinho can help him to build on a promising season.
How did he not get the better of Connor Wickham for pace? Isn't Wickham a lump?
Yeah, I was shocked by that. Haven't seen him outpaced all season and then Wickham does that to him. Probably just a momentary lapse.
I've thought it for sometime but he looks like hes been carrying a knock for the past few months now.
Started the season so well but since March hes not been the same
Still his best season at the club, but did dip the 2nd half of the season. Tbh, he did play a lot of games.
He is being criticized because he didnt use a bit of common sense. Of course it might have been necessary but why on earth you put yourself in that situation. That's the question considering he had been having a hard time against that dude the whole match. Yet, tried to defend/approach the same and got fecked (again).
Regarding that Wickham footrace, in Smalling's defence maybe he misjudged his timing and because of that was always on the back foot.
However, Wickham is a pretty good athlete (he had a decent game) and because of his stride, over that long distance was able to match and even beat Smalling.
Acceleration means the most in those 1-5 yards to beat a player and get the ball past but long strides and powerful running can beat that over a longer distance (which we know doesn't actually happen that often in a game).
That's the remarkable thing about Smalling, you can't beat him in tight spaces (1-5 yards) because you'll have to physically get past AND around him, then you got to beat him in a flat footed race. In the longer
distances, his size and stride usually means he gets into a good position to stop/tackle/intercept whoever he is against.
However, Wickham is a pretty good athlete (he had a decent game) and because of his stride, over that long distance was able to match and even beat Smalling.
Acceleration means the most in those 1-5 yards to beat a player and get the ball past but long strides and powerful running can beat that over a longer distance (which we know doesn't actually happen that often in a game).
That's the remarkable thing about Smalling, you can't beat him in tight spaces (1-5 yards) because you'll have to physically get past AND around him, then you got to beat him in a flat footed race. In the longer
distances, his size and stride usually means he gets into a good position to stop/tackle/intercept whoever he is against.
TBH, he does it a lot where he charges to the half way line to get so tight and then gets turned or beaten. I was shocked Wickham had him for pace though, wasnt exactly Vardy or something.
I do think hes thick though. As much as I like Smalling, I think hes a few elements away from being a top class player:
-Some of his decision making
-On the ball hes shocking in terms of United defenders.
-Hes a "nearly man" when attacking set pieces in the oppositions box.
When he leaves the comfort of the edge of his box or inside his own box, hes not great at all. Hes a good-beastly box defender imo.
I do think hes thick though. As much as I like Smalling, I think hes a few elements away from being a top class player:
-Some of his decision making
-On the ball hes shocking in terms of United defenders.
-Hes a "nearly man" when attacking set pieces in the oppositions box.
When he leaves the comfort of the edge of his box or inside his own box, hes not great at all. Hes a good-beastly box defender imo.
Would benefit from having a much more experienced CB alongside him at the back to keep his concentration levels up at times.
Similar to the effect Puyol had on Pique, then again who wouldn't benefit from a Puyol like figure alongside them!
He was fantastic at the beginning of the season, but I think having Schneiderlin and Schweinsteiger sitting deep alongside him helped a lot.
I really enjoyed watching Blind this season at CB more than Smalling, he really surprised me at times!
Similar to the effect Puyol had on Pique, then again who wouldn't benefit from a Puyol like figure alongside them!
He was fantastic at the beginning of the season, but I think having Schneiderlin and Schweinsteiger sitting deep alongside him helped a lot.
I really enjoyed watching Blind this season at CB more than Smalling, he really surprised me at times!
He's braindead.
I would agree with this.
Still our best defender though, can't see why would we replace him before anyone else in our defence.
Good time to have his worst performance since the City game in 2014.... Didn't cost us thankfully. Had a great season though.
Wow. What a thread. Ridiculously harsh comments.
Bad mistake and 2 stupid yellow cards but he has been fantastic this season. A real breakthrough year for him. I shudder to think how bad the defence would have been without him.
Bad mistake and 2 stupid yellow cards but he has been fantastic this season. A real breakthrough year for him. I shudder to think how bad the defence would have been without him.
hopefully our 2nd best cb next season with blind moving back to midf.
His form dropped severely in the second-half of the season unfortunately. I'll back him to find his best next season though. He just seems to have lost some of the confidence he had earlier and looks slow and clumsy, maybe a bit jaded after a long season.
Yeah his form dipped in the second half of the season, but in general I've felt like we're in safe hands with him. He can be clumsy/brain dead but he's a solid centre back, and a fair few strikers like Vardy have said he's the hardest centre back they've come up against
I'm standing by it still
I don't know if he is the most overrated in the history of the caf but he sure is. He has had as much many good months as bad/average this season.I'm standing by it still
Duh. Because Wickham had a running start.
Exactly. You see him look back to Blind and see he would be 2 v 1 if he let his man go, and that was when he grabbed his leg and brought him down. Smart play with 10 minutes to go in a cup final.
Of course he shouldn't have been so tight to him in the first place.
Yeah, no. Getting sent off in extra time of a cup final is always brainless. He could have easily cost us the trophy.
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