Is Smalling the best defender in the league?

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gza the genius said:
I'm a little surprised he can walk as well to be honest.

So you think he's good positionally and doesn't have a habit of injuring himself by going full speed in to tackles that he shouldn't be making?
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His positioning is fine, obviously like everything it can be improved but he has time on his side.
He is a blood and thunder type defender and isn't afraid of putting his body on the line, we've praised Vidic for that in the past yet criticise Jones for it.
 
dustfingers said:
What makes you think he's risen enough to be the best defender in the league when he's not even regular in the English NT?
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England selection is not contemporaneous with being the best in the league. As an Irishman, I can remember with hilarity when Paul Scholes couldn't get into the England team regularly when clearly the best midfielder England had produced in the last 20/30 years.

That said, I don't think Smalling is the best defender in the league. A season of his first two games form and we can start thinking that way.

But he's been excellent so far.
 
Getsme said:
His positioning is fine, obviously like everything it can be improved but he has time on his side.
He is a blood and thunder type defender and isn't afraid of putting his body on the line, we've praised Vidic for that in the past yet criticise Jones for it.
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Vidic never had the injury problems Jones did.
 
I still think Kompany is the best on his day.

Smalling has a claim to being the most aerially dominant
 
Andy_Cole said:
Just think by June Smalling will comfortably be considered as one of the best in the league by neutrals as well as United fans. Unless he gets injured.
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I think that there is a very high chance that will happen.

However, him being considered by next June as one of the best CB in the league is completely different to him being considered now as the best CB in the league.
 
Revan said:
I think that there is a very high chance that will happen.

However, him being considered by next June as one of the best CB in the league is completely different to him being considered now as the best CB in the league.
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In my opinion his performances have been one of the best since November. However for some strange reason neutrals haven't noticed. Maybe it's that he is low profiles. Or perhaps a few high profile mistakes haven't been forgotten. But a few more months of high performances, and United doing well in the league will no doubt increase his reputation.
 
Andy_Cole said:
In my opinion his performances have been one of the best since November. However for some strange reason neutrals haven't noticed. Maybe it's that he is low profiles. Or perhaps a few high profile mistakes haven't been forgotten. But a few more months of high performances, and United doing well in the league will no doubt increase his reputation.
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He definitely raised his game since November, no doubt about it. But last season he hasn't been near as good as Terry, for example.

Neutrals will notice soon enough if he continues playing like this. It always happens. Even De Gea who was murdered by media in his first season and even in the second season was dropped for 5 matches, by the end of that season was widely regarded as the best keeper in the league (yes, even in RAWK) and got into the team of the year. It might take slightly longer to get noticed, but not by a year or two.
 
I don't see the majority of neutrals pandering over Smalling any time soon, if ever. Plenty of them still think Jones is better. It's marginal, and most seem to think both are hilariously bad, but gun to head and balls in a vice, I predict the vast majority would pick Jones. Because blood and thunder always wins over composure when it comes to catching the eye in a highlights reel.
 
Neutrals will never recognise him as a top class CB. Even some United fans are blinded too it and it's because he can't spray 50 yard passes with ease or he plays it out of play needlessly at least once a game. First and foremost, I want my CB's to defend. There's no point having a David Luiz who is technically excellent, can pass and score but is hopeless at defending. It's a benefit if the CB can play out the back but Smalling always has the option of playing it short or play it to the midfielders who can take over and make the difficult passes.

In 1v1 situation he is very hard to get past because despite being 6ft 3in he is very quick across the ground both in terms of acceleration and top speed. In addition, he's strong and won't get pushed off the ball and knows when to get his body in and when to hold back. Aerially he's brilliant, and very rarely gets beaten in this aspect. His positioning will improve with experience, even now I wouldn't say it's a concern.

The main issue with Smalling is keeping himself fit and available 95% of the time which is crucial for a CB.
 
A season or two of dropped form doesn't mean he's become way worse than Chris Smalling - who still has a lot to prove. I do like Smalling a lot tho, Kompany is just at a higher level, he offers much more leadership and experience than Smalling. There's not a chance Smalling would currently take Kompany's place at City.
 
OnlyTwoDaSilvas said:
I don't see the majority of neutrals pandering over Smalling any time soon, if ever. Plenty of them still think Jones is better. It's marginal, and most seem to think both are hilariously bad, but gun to head and balls in a vice, I predict the vast majority would pick Jones. Because blood and thunder always wins over composure when it comes to catching the eye in a highlights reel.
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Seriously?!

Jones is a comical figure to most football supporters I speak to. And quite frankly, rightfully so.
 
Revan said:
Look at all the players we had that had a legitimate claim as being the best in the league, and everyone rated them. Someone might have said that for example Rio isn't the best CB, but did anyone said that he isn't a top 3 CB in the league? Same for Vidic, Evra, VDS, De Gea, Rooney (when he was good), Scholes, Keano, RVN, Ronaldo.

At the contrary when only a set of fans rate a player (Rafael, Smalling, Kagawa etc), there might be something wrong there. It is either that the player still isn't right there (which I think is the case with Smalling) so the fans are naturally a bit overreacting, or they are just wrong (like we were with Evans for example).
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I doubt Ferdinand was ever considered one of the top 3 CBs in the league by neutrals tbh, I think they would have had Vidic, Terry and Carragher above him. And I think it would have been because of the same reasons Smalling isn't rated by neutrals, their style doesn't really attract attention.
 
sizzling sausages said:
I doubt Ferdinand was ever considered one of the top 3 CBs in the league by neutrals tbh, I think they would have had Vidic, Terry and Carragher above him. And I think it would have been because of the same reasons Smalling isn't rated by neutrals, their style doesn't really attract attention.
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I doubt that. Probably someone might have rated Terry higher, but all those three?

The majority of people I know rated Rio higher than any other CB from EPL. But then, I am not English so the blood and thunder defenders aren't more rated than others outside of England.
 
what a performance against Brugge, he will be in the team of the year in the Premier league
 
Smalling is better than Kompany who has been inconsistent and error prone for a long while now.
 
He has the potential to be. But he has to stay fit, and maintain the high standards he's shown in the first few games of this season. If he does, then he'll certainly be in and amongst them.

For a little while he became one of those players that everyone (or at least, lazy band wagon jumpers and ABUs) just slates and treats as a joke, but his immense talent has always been apparent.
 
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Smalling is on the way up and has been ever since his sending off against man city I reckon. He will be our first choice for the next 5 years I predict as I think hes already class but can only improve with training on his passing. He's not picked up too many injury's recently either touch wood.
 
His technical ability is hugely underrated - and I'm talking about his defensive technique. Some seem to think he's good just because he's a great athlete which is bollocks.

Watch him defend, his anticipation, footwork and the timing of his tackles is impeccable. That is technical ability.
 
Skills said:
His technical ability is hugely underrated - and I'm talking about his defensive technique. Some seem to think he's good just because he's a great athlete which is bollocks.

Watch him defend, his anticipation, footwork and the timing of his tackles is impeccable. That is technical ability.
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Its not
 
Kompany is definitely still above Smalling right now. On his day Kompany is a blend of Rio and Vidic (though I'm not actually saying overall he's better). He's dominant in the air, a really good tackler, good positionally and quality on the ball. Trouble is for the last year he's been really struggling.

Smalling has huge potential. He's getting better positionally, he's a really good tackler and he's good in the air. Plus he's really quick so if he does make a mistake he can recover.

Hopefully the injuries are behind him now and he can have a full season playing the way he is right now. My big concern is if / when the Blind trial comes to an end he has to learn to work with yet another new partner.
 
Re watched the against Brugge and he was absolutely immense. Just gobbled up everything in the air and on the ground, plus his positioning was superb. This thread might not be that far fetched at the end of the season if he remains injury free, and if LvG does not get a mad idea to play Jones ahead of Smalling.
 
ghagua said:
Re watched the against Brugge and he was absolutely immense. Just gobbled up everything in the air and on the ground, plus his positioning was superb. This thread might not be that far fetched at the end of the season if he remains injury free, and if LvG does not get a mad idea to play Jones ahead of Smalling.
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This is my biggest worry! Or at least it was until he's performed the way he has. LVG tends to stick by players who perform for him. When Jones lined up alongside Blind against PSG I panicked. But, and this may sound harsh, I've never been more glad of Jones picking up an injury.
 
Rich_H_1989 said:
This is my biggest worry! Or at least it was until he's performed the way he has. LVG tends to stick by players who perform for him. When Jones lined up alongside Blind against PSG I panicked. But, and this may sound harsh, I've never been more glad of Jones picking up an injury.
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I know what you mean. Don't want an injury to any player, even a small one, but it gave a chance for Smalling to impress.
 
As a pure defender he's up there in my opinion, and has been for about a season. His on-the-ball game will never be exceptional but he's improved a lot. The only thing I want him to do is stop doing that thing where he runs about 20 yards forward with the ball, taking a couple of players out of the game, and then laying the ball off to a full-back who by that point is 10 yards behind him. He does it a few times a game and I don't know why because he's good enough on the ball these days to play a decent forward pass in those situations.
 
People are cautious with praising him, saying he's got potential and yes he's got room for improvement but I think he already showed enough of world class performances since the red card against city. He's fecking immense even now. Who the feck is Boateng.

Smalling should be our next captain, to be honest he should be given the armband now. Rooney doesn't deserve to wear it just because he has no quality to start every game and finish it. Smalling no doubt has it in him, he's also very vocal and level-headed too, long-serving and consistent player. Perfect captain material IMO.
 
Rich_H_1989 said:
Kompany is definitely still above Smalling right now. On his day Kompany is a blend of Rio and Vidic (though I'm not actually saying overall he's better). He's dominant in the air, a really good tackler, good positionally and quality on the ball. Trouble is for the last year he's been really struggling.

Smalling has huge potential. He's getting better positionally, he's a really good tackler and he's good in the air. Plus he's really quick so if he does make a mistake he can recover.

Hopefully the injuries are behind him now and he can have a full season playing the way he is right now. My big concern is if / when the Blind trial comes to an end he has to learn to work with yet another new partner.
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Well if Rojo will jump in instead of Blind I dont see a reason for concern cause they played together and looked pretty good too.
 
Think the thread title needs an update to "best in the world". I've decided that's how I view him as of this week. He has now done it in the PL and Europe.
 
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