He has a long way to win me over but despite his idiocy that should have led to a red card on Sunday, he's impressed me since coming into the side.
16
Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 41
- Clean sheets
- 16
- Goals
- 1
- Assists
- 2
- Yellow cards
- 6
- Status
Keeps proving people wrong. Fair play to him.
He's much better at CB than LB & he's done well since being brought into the side. Will be interesting who Jose partners with Bailly.
Most people would have drove him and Jones to a new club (myself included). Crazy that both have actually been quite good since coming in.
Another solid outing, he's saved his United career over the last month.
Not sure which one of him or jones will partner Bailly, but he was very good again tonight!
Certainly gives Jose a headache about our first choice CB options. Well done Marcos.
Still yet to be properly tested though against a team that's willing to come out of their half and attack us wave after wave.
Still yet to be properly tested though against a team that's willing to come out of their half and attack us wave after wave.
We all thought Lukaku would be a massive test, but he handled him surprisingly well. He's strong, fearless, fast and has a great sliding tackle. He's a little rash at times, but he is pretty good with the ball.
I know a lot of people are finding his upturn in performances and fortune a bit hard to stomach but fair play to him. He's been great this season. Has to be first choice with Bailly. I'll be really pissed if Smalling walks straight back into that defence...an absolute shocker giving him the armband.
Got the ball didnt he? 
That should be red-card aside (and I really hope hes learnt from that and never does it again), hes been really really good. Even against Everton, he was good.
Fair play to him. Got his chance thanks to injuries, came in, and has given Jose no reason to actually drop him. I really think in terms of defence and what we have, hes brings the best balance to the left hand side CB spot. (probably cos hes naturally left footed).
Better balance than Blind maybe cos he can do the dirty stuff like heading the ball away, etc.
Whereas Jones, Bailly, Smalling have all performed their best on the right side.
Fair play to him. Got his chance thanks to injuries, came in, and has given Jose no reason to actually drop him. I really think in terms of defence and what we have, hes brings the best balance to the left hand side CB spot. (probably cos hes naturally left footed).
Better balance than Blind maybe cos he can do the dirty stuff like heading the ball away, etc.
Whereas Jones, Bailly, Smalling have all performed their best on the right side.
LVG gave Smalling the armband and called him the leader at the back. Maybe you should get over it
Noticing little things I like about him, Marcos Rojo organising the defence straight after winning the ball for Mkhi's goal.
https://my.mixtape.moe/tbpdvi.mp4
https://my.mixtape.moe/tbpdvi.mp4
Loved that moment. I've always felt like he has a lot more in the tank than what LVG allowed him to do, but I didn't see that he has some leadership in him. He's turning into the player we thought we were buying.
Maybe people should get over the fact that he's the 'best defender in the league'. I certainly have. The guy's average at best. Have not missed him one bit. To use LVG's assessment is not strengthening your argument either. Maybe you should get over him?
Tell you something, Smalling is in for a tough task getting back into this side. As of now I'd have Bailly, Rojo and even Jones ahead of him.
Good spot. But wasn't it Hererra he was bollocking?
Must admit, I thought Rojo was shit. His recent form is as surprising as it is pleasing. Feels nice being wrong.
I'm not sure I can take seriously the opinion of anyone who says Smalling is average and Rojo is great. He's done alright the last few weeks but he's worse on the ball than Smalling is and that's his biggest weakness. Rojo having the ball is as good as the opposition having it.
Last edited:
In Rojo's case he tries too hard. In Smalling's case, he really is shit on the ball. There's been games when Rojo tried to keep it simple and play some solid passes inbetween the lines to the forwards but every now and then he thinks he's Blind and fecks up.
His ability on the ball is weird. He has an air of confidence on it that the likes of Smalling for example don't.. he's less likely to go back to the keeper, because when under pressure.. he trusts his own footwork and that makes us a more enterprising team when he is in the team.. the fact he is quicker than Blind, makes us defender higher up which again leads to us being a more attacking team.. he does hit hard fast passes which help break the line of the opponent but then he is also wayward at times with the ball.
Yeah I agree but he has to produce many more steady performances before I will be fully convinced as he was that bad last season.
He flips between that and just booting the ball out of play when he doesn't need to. Either way the ball inevitably ends up with the other team.
Knowing his composure I'd rather him boot the ball out of play than lose the ball and make a nervous tackle afterwards.
Pleased with Rojo turning it around and playing well. All it took was playing him in his actual position. Who knew? Overall though, I don't think he has been overly tested. We are not winning many games, but we are very comfortable for the most part. I think this Sunday, if Kane turns up (he's had a few stinkers against us) then it will be a real opportunity to see what Rojo is made of. I hope he bosses him.
I still think Smalling and Bailly are our best pure defenders though. Physically and athletically, they are much more dominant. Smalling hasn't had the opportunity to put the Chelsea game right due to injury but I maintain he took an unfair amount of flack for that. Still, he has performed to a solid level over a longer period of time than Rojo, Jones and even Bailly (in a United shirt). Smalling is very good and he was excellent last season, and even prior to that, whenever he finally got chances to play centrally, he took them and played well.
If Jones can stay fit, Rojo can keep shutting up his doubters, and Smalling returns and puts the Chelsea game behind him, our centre back department is pretty strong. The only downside is Bailly and the ACoN.
I still think Smalling and Bailly are our best pure defenders though. Physically and athletically, they are much more dominant. Smalling hasn't had the opportunity to put the Chelsea game right due to injury but I maintain he took an unfair amount of flack for that. Still, he has performed to a solid level over a longer period of time than Rojo, Jones and even Bailly (in a United shirt). Smalling is very good and he was excellent last season, and even prior to that, whenever he finally got chances to play centrally, he took them and played well.
If Jones can stay fit, Rojo can keep shutting up his doubters, and Smalling returns and puts the Chelsea game behind him, our centre back department is pretty strong. The only downside is Bailly and the ACoN.
Whaaaat? How can we take you seriously when you write this? Rojo is light years ahead of Smalling on the ball.
Yet his passing average for the season is at 86.9%.
And keep in mind he's also a much more expansive passer than Smalling who ALWAYS takes the simple option and plays often back to the keeper. Rojo will often try to find passes in between the lines.
Tell you what though, Rojo must be the one of the worst long distance passers/clearers I've seen in a long time.
Last edited:
I tell you what....I certainly don't miss the backwards and sideways passing that Smalling does. Which is probably why he never loses the ball as you say. He always seems to crap himself whenever any player goes near him. Always gets left for dead and has to resort to grabbing or shirt pulling to stop the attacking player. Rubbish going forward and on the ball. He's way down the pecking order for me. Would even pick Jones ahead of him. Bailly ahd Rojo have to be first choice.
100% agree!
Who cares if a centre back is rubbish going forward? I'd rather a centre back kept it safe and played the short pass than try to dribble through midfield and end up looking like a prat when they're dispossessed, as John Stones does every week.
Smalling, Rojo and to a lesser extent Jones, are pretty poor on the ball. Preferably they give the ball to the midfield or a full back and not go launching forward, because it's not really their job. They're all good defenders though. That's what they're in the side to do.
Smalling, Rojo and to a lesser extent Jones, are pretty poor on the ball. Preferably they give the ball to the midfield or a full back and not go launching forward, because it's not really their job. They're all good defenders though. That's what they're in the side to do.
He really isn't. Chris Smalling's passing stats are 91.1%. That should put Rojo's figures into perspective. The stats also won't show the mindless clearances under no pressure either.
So would I. My issue with Rojo is he still tries those passes from time to time and puts us under pressure. As do his often panicked clearances. Ultimately the most important thing is to be able to defend. And Smalling is better at that.
I never said Smalling never lost the ball. It's one of his weaknesses too. He's a better defender than Rojo.
Surely he was being sarcastic (asks nervously)
It says allot when Jones comes back from a decade of no football looking like Duncan Edwards compared to Rojo. Rojo has been and is a poor player. How people can say otherwise because he lasted some minutes without a major blunder underlines the Negative and Positive hyperbole on football forums. One half they are utter gash and the next half they are the second coming.
When did passing back to the keeper become a negative point for a centre back? It was definitely a clear tactical instruction under LvG anyway. Blind and even Carrick, who are both excellent with the ball, do it plenty. Every CB does it more than once per game. Keep it safe in your own half, always. That's why Pep brought in Bravo, so they can always use that option. It's a mental negative to put next to a player.
Clearly not a good endorsement of probably the worst football I've witnessed at Old Trafford!
A hybrid of him and Blind could become the best left CB in the world. He has done very well but I am still a bit nervous anytime he gets the ball.
He's never really been that bad as a CB for us. Was really good before hurting his shoulder in his first season. He's a shite LB, though.
Rojo and Jones are light years ahead of Smalling on the ball. For one thing, everytime Smalling has the ball he looks absolutely terrified of that fact. Rojo seems to be at least confident to try to play from the back.
The problem is it was never the fall back option, as you say it was THE instruction from LVG. Defenders didn't look to win the ball and quickly pass it forward, then won the ball, passed backwards and restarted the team shape, building up from the back.
It was just so robotic and structured, functional yes but lacked that ability of passing through a team that was out of shape and vulnerable.
We never scored counter attacks as we weren't looking to do it, then teams got re organised.
Now under Jose that's different, we are winning it back and passing forward quickly. Both goals scored against Zorya came from winning the ball back and passing/running quickly forward while they were out of shape.
- Status