The science will stand up, definitely, I'll not doubt that. I just can't find it within me to give a shit. I probably should, but I think sports science only goes so far. As soon as Smalling steps out on to the field against Bayern then any mistakes will be due to the nature of the game and the situation, not because of a treble he tanked 10 days earlier. I think if it was a long term problem then obviously there'd be a problem, but I just see this as an isolated incident. Plus, I do kind of feel for footballers when it comes to this kind of thing. They're normal guys that happen to be extremely well-paid, I'll not criticise them over a drink.
How good is Chris Smalling?
- Thread starter Plechazunga
- Start date
The science will stand up, definitely, I'll not doubt that. I just can't find it within me to give a shit. I probably should, but I think sports science only goes so far. As soon as Smalling steps out on to the field against Bayern then any mistakes will be due to the nature of the game and the situation, not because of a treble he tanked 10 days earlier. I think if it was a long term problem then obviously there'd be a problem, but I just see this as an isolated incident. Plus, I do kind of feel for footballers when it comes to this kind of thing. They're normal guys that happen to be extremely well-paid, I'll not criticise them over a drink.
Who ?
I only ask because only a moron would suggest covering upwards of 10 km in 90 minutes twice a week is rendered unfit because they like a drink at the weekend.
Do you think Mo Farah is out on the lash on a semi-regular basis during his season/when recovering from injuries?
No, but then again he is a devout muslim so his drinking would be a surprise on another level.
But even if he did have a drink on a weekend he didn't have a game then I wouldn't care, nor would I consider him unfit or not an athlete
I've heard at least two different athletes talking about the lack of dedication shown by footballers, compared to them, in terms of diet and maintaining peak physical fitness.
We had a good discussion about this on another thread while ago. @Gio made a really good point about the different type of fitness required to peak for a specific event (which is how athletes train) as opposed to maintaining fitness over a whole football season but there's definitely more that footballers can to do optimise their performance. I even heard a report from two rugby coaches (former Irish internationals) who took on a job as strength and conditioning coaches at Arsenal and were surprised at how archaic some aspects of training regimes are in football.
Anyway, my main beef here is that he was supposed to be recovering from an injury. In that context, going out and getting bladdered is incredibly unprofessional. Which is annoying.
We had a good discussion about this on another thread while ago. @Gio made a really good point about the different type of fitness required to peak for a specific event (which is how athletes train) as opposed to maintaining fitness over a whole football season but there's definitely more that footballers can to do optimise their performance. I even heard a report from two rugby coaches (former Irish internationals) who took on a job as strength and conditioning coaches at Arsenal and were surprised at how archaic some aspects of training regimes are in football.
Anyway, my main beef here is that he was supposed to be recovering from an injury. In that context, going out and getting bladdered is incredibly unprofessional. Which is annoying.
A cross country skier. He was talking about the Norwegian league though, which undoubtedly isn't as fit as the English league. He said he didn't want to argue any other way about the EPL. But drinking every weekend, like a lot of players in Norway seem to do, is hardly going to do the body any favors. I was out on a Saturday and was hung over for a match on Tuesday...
With the way the season's gone, don't blame the lad wanting to get langered.
Our second best CB this season? Massive improvement from last season anyway.
#SmallingPlusOne
It's a disgrace that today was only his 13th start at centre back. Our defense has often been shite this season, but not when he's in it.
Should we start him against Bayern? If he wasn't injured I think he would be one of the first names to start against them, but I think he is late week or two.
Please never play him at RB agian. What a waste.
In fairness you can't compare long distance runners to footballers.
The fitness IS the long distance runners thing, whereas for footballers it's part of it. Football is so stop start too, and you have 10 team mates with you.
He's my first choice CB at this club, simple as. He's the least error prone, built like a shit brick-house, has very good spacial awareness with many other qualities. If/when we sign a CB next season and he is supposed to be a first team player, then I hope Smalling gets the other spot next to him for the majority of the season, I really think he is that good.
He is our best centre half.
Yep.
Don't want him playing vs Bayern. The amount of pressure Bayern put the players under we need good ball players in there IMO/
I have many friends who, when discussing about United's summer clear-out (which is a hot topic this year), put Smalling as one of the players who United should be looking to get rid. I just sit there, looking in utter amazement that they suggested such a thing. He's 24 and has the composure of a 30 year old CB, and has had it since he was 22 to be fair.
All of them need to stop getting injured. I'm unconvinced by him still because his distribution is often quite poor but I'd love it if he could step up and be the guy who plays 45-50 games a season at the heart of our defence.
The being said I do think we'd need to go out and get a seriously top notch defender this summer to supplement the loss of Vidic and possibly Rio. I don't think we can rely on Smalling Evans and Jones being injury free for the most-part of a season. Consistency and solidity needs to start from the back.
The being said I do think we'd need to go out and get a seriously top notch defender this summer to supplement the loss of Vidic and possibly Rio. I don't think we can rely on Smalling Evans and Jones being injury free for the most-part of a season. Consistency and solidity needs to start from the back.
The injury crisis at the back is just getting silly now. How many more years can this go on for, seriously!
It started because Ferguson rotated like a madman to protect a done-in Rio and it will end when Moyes stops.
Play two of them every week and the injuries, for the most part, will remarkably reduce.
Play two of them every week and the injuries, for the most part, will remarkably reduce.
I think he should start against Munich. Him alongside Vidic makes for a strong pairing. He is a lot more quicker than rio and has put in consistent performances all season at cb position. I don't see any reason why he shouldn't start against bayern
One thing I don't like about him is his defending of crosses those aren't highest, he can miss one or two at times, it's like he still can't estimate trajectory of the ball when defending crosses. Other than that, his defensive attributes are really excellent, I think he has biggest potential of our all centre backs.
Smalling seems to be progressing more this season than last. I was worried he was going to plateau. Showing signs he's going to be more than just a decent squad player, but still kinda raw.
Shit source, but I don't see a reason why they would make this up(altough I don't see this on manutd.com as they say):
http://hereisthecity.com/en-gb/2014...malling-is-the-toughest-manchester-united-de/
"I would have to say Chris Smalling is the most difficult to get past in training. He’s one of our fastest players and can rival most of the forwards for pace.
"He also reads the game really well and is always in the right place at the right time, clearing up any danger.
"I’m just glad that I get to play with him for both United and England. I’d hate to play against him!"
http://hereisthecity.com/en-gb/2014...malling-is-the-toughest-manchester-united-de/
"I would have to say Chris Smalling is the most difficult to get past in training. He’s one of our fastest players and can rival most of the forwards for pace.
"He also reads the game really well and is always in the right place at the right time, clearing up any danger.
"I’m just glad that I get to play with him for both United and England. I’d hate to play against him!"
Great to read!
I've said this for quite some time. When talking about defending, Smalling is our best centre back. He is lightning quick: not even Agbonlahor could get past him on pace, and Smalling even outpaced Sturridge (Welbeck did that too). He looks very secure in one on ones vs any attacker, be they quick or strong. I fail to see how some dispute his talent and ability.
Welbeck saying he's hard to get past is testament to his pace as a CB. I just hope he has an absolute stormer tonight, and luckily he doesn't have too much pace to deal with through the middle tonight.
He is no where near as quick as Agbonlahor and still not as fast as Sturridge either. He has good pace for a defender but nothing exceptional.
Hopefully Moyes is telling him this stuff tonight and he believes it!
Watch Aston Villa vs Manchester United in 11/12. We started Smalling at right back... He destroyed Agbonlahor.
Nah mate, he's fecking rapid! One of the fastest defenders around.
Dangerous at set pieces I feel sorry for Rio as he was outstanding in the first leg.
Was slightly concerned about his fitness when I saw him in the starting line-up, but he's been fantastic so far.
Composed as feck.
Arguably our most consistent centre-back this season. Excellent first half performance.
Looks outstanding so far!
He's built for these kind of games. He's the most composed CB we have now that Ferdinand has declined.
He clearly outpaced Sturridge in the first match against Liverpool - a sprint without the ball. He also outsprinted Muller today, who is no slouch.