Ivanovic is a RB. Kompany and Fonte are not better. Only Koscielny would probably do as well as Smalling does in our system, and as I've said, Smalling is actually better at actually defending and in the air.
Is Smalling the best defender in the league?
- Thread starter Andy_Cole
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I'd say yes, right now he's the best defender in the PL but for some reason i feel LvG prefers Jones over Smalling which is weird.
What?
I'm sure the number who didn't want smalling to be number 1 CB is very low. So it's a bit of a lie to make it sound like we're all fickle for thinking he's so good now
He hasn't been 'solid lately' he's been a bloody good player for a while now and there's been plenty of us here who have been vocal about it, just because the media and the naysayers here have been reluctant to praise him doesn't make him any less impressive.
Being top 5 in the league playing for Manchester United is nothing to bleat about. We're 4th last season, by merit we have top 5 squad.
He's playing up to par for a club like united. Nothing special for me. Dont get mw wrong, not slating him and happy with his form at the moment.
He's playing up to par for a club like united. Nothing special for me. Dont get mw wrong, not slating him and happy with his form at the moment.
There's a difference between being the best defender in the league and not willing to swap him with anyone due to his age and aptitude to your style of play though. Ivanovic is a better defender than Smalling but I wouln't want to swap them either if I was a United fan. Yesterday was the first time since last season I watched a United game and Smalling impressed me, albeit against Villa of course but still. He's probably one of the best five CBs in the league but not the best.
I've always rated him highly and I do think that he is one of the best defenders in the league. But he is still not WC, for that he needs more time, which is normal, just that the league doesn't have WC CB's so he can be regarded as one of the best (to say the best, that just isn't really possible because of lots of other factors).
Problem is that he always seems to get a 6 week injury just when he's getting a good run of games. If he can overcome his injury issues then he definitely can be a beast for us. I guess we'll see how good he currently is in the Champions League and when we come up against top 4 teams in the league
So many throw away comments being made against him, I'd like to respond but it would be akin to the playing chess against a pigeon scenario
I do wonder where some people garner their opnions from
I do wonder where some people garner their opnions from
Manchester United, or any top 3 clubs in epl are entitled to have a good defender. Bloody good is what it takes to be a Manchester United main cb.
Id say that smailing level is the minimum requirements for top club. It's the likes of jones and evans that makes having smailing looks like a grand blessing. He's nowhere compared to rio / stam / pallister and the rest of our mainstay cb (yet), calling him the best in the league is rawkish
Agreed, he isn't the best but he has the potential to improve and he is currently very good.
He's the most talented defender in the league. If he stays fit, he doesn't have any real competition in the current Premier League.
By the manager he means perhaps? I wouldn't be surprised if LVG drops him for Jones when he is fit. Despite his great defensive abilities he showed again last night why he doesn't fit the LVG mould for a centre back. He struggles to play out quickly, resorts to hoof and to often fails with passes he really should be making.
He actually made MOTD's top five centre back last season. I think if he stats fit and in the team then he might when defender of the season. That is for a British intepretation of defending though. LVG has different criteria.
a few weeks ago, he wasn't even rated as being worth a starting spot.
now best in the league
our fans
Don't generalise.
I for one have always wanted Smalling to start for us. Many others on here would to. Just because some fans on here say he shouldn't be starting, it doesn't mean they are the same posters who then say "BEST IN THE LEAGUE" or "he deserves to start!".
Too early to say that. He wasn't even a top 10 CB in the league only 1 year ago.
He had a quite good second half of the season, and he was brilliant in the first two matches. If things continue like this, then in a year the answer might well be 'Yes'. But until then, it is foolish to even suggest the idea. Anderson and Cleverley were the best midfielders in the league in the first 3 matches of 2011-2012 season after all. False negatives are always possible.
He had a quite good second half of the season, and he was brilliant in the first two matches. If things continue like this, then in a year the answer might well be 'Yes'. But until then, it is foolish to even suggest the idea. Anderson and Cleverley were the best midfielders in the league in the first 3 matches of 2011-2012 season after all. False negatives are always possible.
Surprised some are laughing at this. The best CBs in the league are terry, koscielny and Smalling and while terry is the best of the lot he has a system that's perfect for him. He struggles in a higher defensive line. I wouldn't swap Smalling for any CB in the league and that's ignoring his age.
He was superb last year too, someone called his last year's performance shit. Incredible.
Btw, why is a prime Rio or defending against Messi being brought into this? A 70% peak Rio would be miles better than any CB currently around in the PL and Messi plays in Spain.
He was superb last year too, someone called his last year's performance shit. Incredible.
Btw, why is a prime Rio or defending against Messi being brought into this? A 70% peak Rio would be miles better than any CB currently around in the PL and Messi plays in Spain.
He'd sit nicely alongside Kos in our lineup but I wouldn't trade them. I would for Mertesacker though.
No, he isnt the best defender in the league... yet.
Because he was consistently played out of position - even at RB he was still a pretty fecking good defender. Honestly though, if it's taken people this last year and a media narrative to realise how good a defender Chris Smalling is and has been I really, really pity you.
He's up there with Kos and Terry at the moment. But he hasnt shown it for long enough to get that title.
He needs to prove it over a full season, having a few good games playing at a high standard doesn't make you the best in the league.
Lots of defenders can do that in any team on match day, but do it consistently over a season and then we can talk about who is the best.
Lots of defenders can do that in any team on match day, but do it consistently over a season and then we can talk about who is the best.
Already posted this but he made MOTD's top five last season.
I can not name a 25 year old defender who has the same talent as Smalling. Can you ?
I'm sure you've already got a lot of replies but I'm going to add another one.
Precaution: Think before you post.
He's been very good for a little while now. Really matured and came on leaps an bounds last season. His only real major weakness for me is his passing can be erratic a times, and in the system and way LvG wants to play that can be a problem.
One on one he's a rock too. So strong, so quick.
One on one he's a rock too. So strong, so quick.
United was quite shite last season though, so getting MOTM doesn't mean much. And anyway, the quality of CB in EPL (and in the world in general) at the moment is quite poor.
Smalling was bad on the firts half of the season, while decent in the second half. But he wasn't even a sure starter until Jones got injured.
I like Smalling a lot, but God, he is really overrated here. Not long ago, Evans was in the same position in this forum.
What about younger? Varane and Laporte are certainly more talented, probably the likes of Marquinhos, Gimenez and Stones too.
Kompany and ivanovic being named as better CBs says a lot. One has been shit for a while, the other hasn't even played CB for ages.
In the PL Zouma and Stones could be as good or better when they reach the age of 25.
No.
I love Smalling, but this thread is a bit Rawkish.
He's always been our best defender. A few of us have said that for a year or so. He needs to stay fight and improve on his passing. As a defender he's amazing; speed, height, heading he has everything.
You mean the City game basically, which determined your and the media's narrative for his first half of the season?
Because our best defensive defensive performances in the first half of the season also came from Chris Smalling. Chelsea home, Arsenal away, Hull home and Stoke home. The rest of the time he was just struggling for fitness.
Just not true.
Amazing what not spending most of the game trying to help out Valencia will do for you.
He was a bench warmer for majority of that time, having that disaster of a City game and being injured in the meantime. When Phil Jones is ahead of you in the pecking order, then surely there is something wrong with the best CB in the league.
Phil Jones would still be ahead of him in the pecking order now. Not on merit, it just happens to be that our manager is a complete and utter imbecile when it comes to judging our defenders. See Blackett making his way into our first team squad.
What has that got to do with defending?
Positioning, heading the ball, intercepting passes, sniffing out danger. All of that is defending, and only Terry and perhaps Koscielny do that as well as Smalling in the division.
The distribution argument is beyond tiresome. We've won two games because our defenders defended well, not because they played a few pretty passes that inevitably lead to nothing.
Phil Jones seemed to be ahead of him even this season before he got injured, it proves nothing.
Smalling wasn't poor before the city game either. Not as immense as he was in the 2nd half but very good nonetheless. That 1 game painted his entire season till then as poor for some reason.
When it comes to judging defenders there's no stats like assists and goals to bail people out. So they tend to need to grasp onto whatever narrative that is being fed at that time - the City sending off was the big one.
The only reason Smalling actually started getting some credit was also due to Carragher praising him on MNF.
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