16
Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 12
- Clean sheets
- 4
- Goals
- 0
- Assists
- 2
- Yellow cards
- 6
- Status
LOL like feck he is.
He scored a great goal the other day and he can be decent but he's not a top defender. Smalling is way more reliable.
You really shouldnt use Rojo and superb CB in the same sentence.. he is (like Jones) an accident waiting to happen.
Other than that run under Mourinho, he's been exactly what he is; a middle of the road defender who was never good enough to end up at United and who has plenty of mistakes in him. Being a 'good lad who gets United' doesn't really change that.
On the Jones/Smalling comparisons, not a single one of them is good enough to start for us. They consistently let us down. Again, good players, but not good enough, at this point in their careers, to be what we need them to be.
On the Jones/Smalling comparisons, not a single one of them is good enough to start for us. They consistently let us down. Again, good players, but not good enough, at this point in their careers, to be what we need them to be.
No white text?
He’s a proper warrior and has a good attitude but he’s a disaster waiting to happen. If his ability as a defender matched his passion, he would be the cats whiskers.
this
While he’s not that great, there’s not a thing he could have done against Mbappé today.
The idiot commentators (Danny Murphy I think) kept saying he should have ‘dropped’. Did he not see that he gave himself 10 yards on Mbappé and was still blown away? Should Rojo have gone and stood by his keeper and waited for him?
The idiot commentators (Danny Murphy I think) kept saying he should have ‘dropped’. Did he not see that he gave himself 10 yards on Mbappé and was still blown away? Should Rojo have gone and stood by his keeper and waited for him?
Been a mediocre defender since he got here (and before part of one season apart), literally shits himself every time somebody runs at him, has a mistake in him every game and isn't the level of defender this club should aspire to. Yet sadly his "tenacity" will probably save him the chop as Mourinho loves a trier.
Today he got exposed badly. All he had to do was shepperd MBappe to the side
He is just terrible. One of the bunch of players LVG left us with . What a terrible player.
The faith that some have in Rojo as our best CB is one of the more baffling quirks of our fandom. 3 months in 4 years he has looked as if he might be up to the standard, and even during that run he should have been sent off twice. Mou had already tanked the league games because he knew the Europa League run was nearly a tap in considering the standard of the opposition. 3 months of good form in mostly nothing games, and that makes him our best?
He is mediocre in the air, slow on the turn and prone to stupid rash tackles that take him out of the game. Utd already have Bailly for the rash lunges and the aerial struggles but he is better everywhere else. Rojo has a great, battling attitude, and physical courage but so many flaws in his game.
He is mediocre in the air, slow on the turn and prone to stupid rash tackles that take him out of the game. Utd already have Bailly for the rash lunges and the aerial struggles but he is better everywhere else. Rojo has a great, battling attitude, and physical courage but so many flaws in his game.
Smalling is far better than Rojo, who is as equally bad as Jones.
Another Louis van Gaal's signing that we need to get rid.
Laying foundation my ass
Laying foundation my ass
Since it hasnt really been mentioned, Griezmann beat him easily as well when Rojo came out to confront him. So it wasnt just the Mbappe penalty. In the previous match where he scored that very nice goal he also had the "penalty" incident, which shouldnt have been a penalty but was still poor defending leading to a chance the opponent should have done better with.
He's been at United for 4 years and had 1 purple patch where he was quite a good CB for a season. He's usually got a mistake in him
He's been at United for 4 years and had 1 purple patch where he was quite a good CB for a season. He's usually got a mistake in him
I mean the only 2 good seasons I saw from Rojo was 1 in 2013/2014 under Leo Jardim at Sporting and the 2016/2017 season under Mourinho. When he left Argentina and went to Russia didn't adapted, his first season in Portugal he did the same kind of dumb mistakes he has done at this WC.
Only difference is the level at what he is exposed, sure he has good atributes normal fans like being a warrior, but reality is he has a low IQ to be a top CB.
I even rate more Lindelof than him which by the way is not telling much because I doubt Lindelof will ever reach the necessary level to be a leader for United, at best a third option.
Even Blind has much more "brain" to play for United than Rojo. Quite frankly Garay was much better than Rojo for Argentina.
Only difference is the level at what he is exposed, sure he has good atributes normal fans like being a warrior, but reality is he has a low IQ to be a top CB.
I even rate more Lindelof than him which by the way is not telling much because I doubt Lindelof will ever reach the necessary level to be a leader for United, at best a third option.
Even Blind has much more "brain" to play for United than Rojo. Quite frankly Garay was much better than Rojo for Argentina.
Last edited:
But we didn't need a new CB.
That's exactly what he tried to do. There's not a defender playing today who could have dealt with that run.
I'm sorry but that is not what he tried to do. You don't shepperd a striker like that by bringing him down. MBappe was running towards one direction, he could have anticipated it a little better. Easier said than done but I called it before that Rojo was gonna concede a penalty on MBappe, it was way too obvious considering how stupid he can be at times
If Smalling was nicer on the ball he'd instantly get more recognition which is unfair IMHO because when it comes to his priorities, as in defensive duties, he has been our most consistent player for a while now
It's especially unfair because much of the criticism of Smalling's ability on the ball is laughable.
You see people going on rants about how terrible his passing is and then when you show them the stats that his passing accuracy is better than several of our CBs such as Bailly and Rojo they say something like "but he has to turn his body in a way I don't like when making the pass!".
I understand the criticism from an aesthetic from POV, if you don't like the player you don't like him and I think sometimes he overdoes it with the safe back passing but overall I would rather that than a wreckless defender who concedes many chances because he thinks Pirlo at the back
This is the worry as we have too players that have Rojo 'moments'. Not any of them can be trusted....
Agree.
Smalling even by the numbers makes less passes than a bunch of other CBs. And sometimes he takes an extra touch before doing it. Its true that hes not the best on the ball, he just isnt as bad as some people like to make out. He's not constantly passing the ball to the other team or being tackled - those are the things that Rojo has done for the majority of his time at United despite being better on the ball.
I don't agree with this. He 100% could have managed the situation better, I'd hardly call it an impossible situation.
The funny thing is he did great at first by dropping off and forcing Mbappe away from goal but being the idiot he is he couldn't maintain composure and follow him wide. Granted Mbappe would have still blown by him but he would have limited the danger considerably.
Pulling him down was absolutely brainless but its what we've come to expect of Rojo tbh.
I couldn't have said it better. Smalling is reliable, Rojo just isn't.
I really don't rate this guy and i'm not sticking the boot in because Mbappe trashed him today, i'd rather have Smalling there any day of the week.
It was more like 2 months of pretty decent form if that. He should have been sent off at least 3 times that season as well if I recall. There were those two footed lunges he didn’t get punished for.
He tried to force him to the side and then put his body in between the player and the ball. Exactly what you're supposed to do really. Mbappe was just too damn fast.
My point in a way. He tried but failed miserably
That's why I can't abide him. Some of the two-footed challenges he's made with us (a lot he amazingly avoided getting sent off) have been crazy.
That's not at all what you're supposed to do. Actually correction. That's exactly what you're supposed to do if you either:
a) don't know how to defend,
b) you're too stupid to think or
c) your target is to actually give away a pen.
Mbappe kicked the ball past him in the box heading away from goal. With no teammate in the box or anywhere near. Letting Mbappe get to the ball while running to cover the angle to the goal would have been the correct call. Mbappe was not gonna score from that angle and with a defender on his way, he'd have to wait for back up.
Leaning across with your arms to block a striker when the ball is not in your possession (protecting it) and while the striker has a clear chance of retrieving it before going out/being intercepted... is always a pen. Especially in this tournament of VAR
Snalling's passing deficiencies aren't really painted in the stats. His tendency to pass to the receiver's backfoot for the sake of safety constantly puts them at a disadvantaged position before they've even received it and his inability to pass out of pressure makes it practically impossible to build from the back when he's on the field. Passing stats may count quantity but can't account for passing quality. Even I could have a 100% pass completion if I mostly played safe passes to De gea. I would then have a higher pass completion than some of the world's top midfielders.
Back on topic Smalling is unquestionably better than Rojo
Not sue what game you were watching but at the pace Mbappe was going he would easily have got to the ball in time to shoot.
I was watching the game where the angle would have been too tight for him by the time he reached the ball. Which one were you watching?
I was watching the game where the angle would have been too tight for him by the time he reached the ball. Which one were you watching?
By that point he had already slowed due to Rojo's tackle. He would have been able to shoot around the point where the corner of the 6 yard box and the keeper line up. Easily enough space to score from. I have no idea how you think he should let Mbappe go past and somehow cover that angle.
Anyway, i'm not saying Rojo did a good job. I'm saying he did what he was supposed to do but screwed it up.
Bang average CB, who had a brief purple patch one season. Needs to be sold, but won't happen as he's signed a new deal not so long ago. I'd get rid of him before Jones for the home-grown reason.
I'll entertain you. Say he does get to the ball to get a shot away from that angle.
What is preferable for the defender? Is it..
a) letting the striker taking a shot from that angle, after a 60 yard sprint. Or
b) blocking him in the box and giving away a pen.
I'll entertain you. Say he does get to the ball to get a shot away from that angle.
What is preferable for the defender? Is it..
a) letting the striker taking a shot from that angle, after a 60 yard sprint. Or
b) blocking him in the box and giving away a pen.
Actually it is c) getting in between the attacker and the ball outside the area and forcing him off it.
That is what Rojo tried to do, but Mbappe was too fast.
c) foul him outside of the box. Not that hard but it's Rojo, he always finds a way to give away a penalty, or get himself sent offI'll entertain you. Say he does get to the ball to get a shot away from that angle.
What is preferable for the defender? Is it..
a) letting the striker taking a shot from that angle, after a 60 yard sprint. Or
b) blocking him in the box and giving away a pen.
- Status