SMALLING ENJOYING PARTNERSHIP WITH BAILLY

Chris Smalling believes his centre-back partnership with Eric Bailly will get "stronger and stronger" following an encouraging start at the heart of Manchester United's defence.

Smalling missed the start of the season because of a slight injury and a one-match suspension, which meant he only made his first start against Feyenoord on 15 September. However, since then, the England international has been a constant presence in Jose Mourinho's team alongside summer signing Bailly.

Speaking to MUTV last week, ahead of the 1-1 draw with Stoke City, Smalling assessed his flourishing alliance with the Ivorian recruit. “The more games we play together, the more we’re getting used to one another,” Chris said. “As defenders we need to be vocal and he’s getting a lot stronger at that, with his English really improving. He’s very physically imposing as well and really easy to play alongside.

“We’ve got certain calls and certain words which he, and any foreign player that comes in, can understand, no matter if his English is advanced or not,” Chris continued. “It’s about developing that, and the more games we get together I think we’ll get stronger and stronger.”

Since making his debut for the club against Leicester City in the Community Shield, Bailly has endeared himself to the United faithful with a number of combative displays. His performances have even led to a comparison with another colossal Reds defender in the form of club legend Nemanja Vidic.

“Nemanja was one of those defenders who was very aggressive, very dominant and took no nonsense,” Smalling told MUTV. “Eric plays the same way. He can go through a tackle and he doesn’t take risks. If it needs to go, it goes! You can see the similarities there and I expect Eric to have many good years here.”

parrotibaba:
But that's the problem, Pogba is not your typical attacking midfielder that is expected to bang in the goals every match day. Everybody de chop goals wey even near goal line, it can happen. Profligacy killed us yesterday. This is the problem I had with his price, it will eventually attract the "a £90m player should be banging in goals left/right and singlehandedly win matches" statement. We are all forgetting that this guy was not responsible for the price tag, rather it was Juventus that wanted that amount of money for him. When Pogba was in Juventus, nobody was talking about his goals but rather his midfield abilities were brought up whenever he was mentioned but now that he's in manutd, everybody expects him to score hattricks every match day even if na defense he play.


To dominate like how Ferguson did is not something that will be achieved easily by any coach. Sure we need match winners but we need a system first, Jose is trying to play a different brand of football to the one that he's known for and I expect it will take a bit of time before these players adjust well enough for it. We were very unlucky yesterday, we played well but we drew, that's football.

But does he dominate midfield anywhere near Zidane did? I know he is still young, but....

We have had non goal scoring midfielders who made the difference every match - Pirlo for instance, you see him dictating how the entire 22 players in the field play. Even some not so great brought something peculiar which they were feared for.

SIRcumalot:

I'll settle for winning the league again this season before talk of domination.
That era is done I think we don dey enter the era of multiple winners in a 4-5 years span.

Any decent player should have scored from that range.na off they day for Pogba and Ibra.

Best reply comment.

SIRcumalot:

U no say depay score too, maybe even more than this son fella,if we check am.
As e be so,na only Phil Jones and rojo get my blessing to leave this squad.

son scored more than depay. I knew depay was a fraud watching him during the world cup in brazil. I don't believe a team has to buy big to win trophies,maybe 1 marquee aigning and some decent players. That was exactly what sir used to do but lvg and jose are here to waste the money.jose's. time has gone. He isn't what united need. United needs a gaffer that has passed through OT. Back them with funds and see united play like manchester united not like woman utd as they currently are.

eph12:

That we are comparing Dele with Pogba and someone is asking for trophies won? Ozil in arsenal has more impact than most attacking midfielders in the epl but has he won the epl? No! Does he even have any personal accolades? I don't think so. Wouldn't any of the top teams want to have him in his team? Definitely yes.

If you are comparing players why won't you bring the trophies they won into the discourse? So we should just forget that Pogba won trophies in Juventus because it's Bamidele Alli that is being compared to him.


Mesut Ozil, even though he's currently at an uber useless club boasts of a la liga title and a world Cup, he's one of the best passers in the world and of course will walk into any top team in the world. Which one Bamidele Alli get? Last season, Ozil had the highest assist in the league, which one Bamidele Alli get?

elampiro:


But does he dominate midfield anywhere near Zidane did? I know he is still young, but....

We have had non goal scoring midfielders who made the difference every match - Pirlo for instance, you see him dictating how the entire 22 players in the field play. Even some not so great brought something peculiar which they were feared for.

oga o the same people that expected rooney to be scoring like ronaldo and messi because he earns 250k per week. Pogboon should be creating 4 assists and scoring 2 per match .

parrotibaba:
But that's the problem, Pogba is not your typical attacking midfielder that is expected to bang in the goals every match day. Everybody de chop goals wey even near goal line, it can happen. Profligacy killed us yesterday. This is the problem I had with his price, it will eventually attract the "a £90m player should be banging in goals left/right and singlehandedly win matches" statement. We are all forgetting that this guy was not responsible for the price tag, rather it was Juventus that wanted that amount of money for him. When Pogba was in Juventus, nobody was talking about his goals but rather his midfield abilities were brought up whenever he was mentioned but now that he's in manutd, everybody expects him to score hattricks every match day even if na defense he play.

1. Bros - At Juve, Pogba was an attacking Midfielder who was licenced to Roam - his constant showboating & ability to score Spectacular goals are the major factors that contributed to his hype..not his Midfield qualities.

Machisio & most importantly.. Pirlo ran things for Juve at the Centre of the park.

2. As regards his transfer fee, it's easy for you to shift the blame away from the lad But you conveniently left out the fact that he is one of the highest paid Footballers in the world today - abi that one na Juve Fault too?

elampiro:


But does he dominate midfield anywhere near Zidane did? I know he is still young, but....

We have had non goal scoring midfielders who made the difference every match - Pirlo for instance, you see him dictating how the entire 22 players in the field play. Even some not so great brought something peculiar which they were feared for.

You can't wake up and expect Pogba to dominate midfield like Zidane and moreover Zidane was an attacking midfield. I think that we should at least give Pogba time to settle down and assess him in January, we have seen how he can play when he's in the mood, the Leicester match comes to mind, we just need to see if Herrera will be able to complement him well enough as matches come thick and fast. Various people argue that he's better off when given the free role in midfield, while others argue that box to box is his happy hunting ground, it all depends on the system the gaffer plays and how he thinks Pogba will help the team best. Make we get our first eleven first before we dive into full on criticism.


Pogba is not in the mold of pirlo, pirlo is a deep lying playmaker just like Carrick. This guys are the choir masters of football and their kind of players are rare to find nowadays in football.

parrotibaba:
You can't wake up and expect Pogba to dominate midfield like Zidane and moreover Zidane was an attacking midfield. I think that we should at least give Pogba time to settle down and assess him in January, we have seen how he can play when he's in the mood, the Leicester match comes to mind, we just need to see if Herrera will be able to complement him well enough as matches come thick and fast. Various people argue that he's better off when given the free role in midfield, while others argue that box to box is his happy hunting ground, it all depends on the system the gaffer plays and how he thinks Pogba will help the team best. Make we get our first eleven first before we dive into full on criticism.


Pogba is not in the mold of pirlo, pirlo is a deep lying playmaker just like Carrick. This guys are the choir masters of football and their kind of players are rare to find nowadays in football.

Pirlo did not start as a DM. His position went backwards as he grew older.

AdisaOwala:


1. Bros - At Juve, Pogba was an attacking Midfielder who was licenced to Roam - his constant showboating & ability to score Spectacular goals are the major factors that contributed to his hype..not his Midfield qualities.

Machisio & most importantly.. Pirlo ran things for Juve at the Centre of the park.

2. As regards his transfer fee, it's easy for you to shift the blame away from the lad But you conveniently left out the fact that he is one of the highest paid Footballers in the world today - abi that one na Juve Fault too?

Oga it was only during his final season, after both vidal and pirlo left the club that he was moved forward to an advanced role, the previous years he was a box to box midfielder in the club. He was known to be a pawaful and energetic midfielder with skills and stamina, the goals were an added bonus, no be Pogba football pundits been the compare to Viera?.


His salary has nothing to do with the player, abi no be agent and club dey negotiate contract again?

elampiro:


But does he dominate midfield anywhere near Zidane did? I know he is still young, but....

We have had non goal scoring midfielders who made the difference every match - Pirlo for instance, you see him dictating how the entire 22 players in the field play. Even some not so great brought something peculiar which they were feared for.

The fella doesn't seem to be cut out for "midfield dictatorship" like the Modrics & Krooses of this world - his best bet could be to replicate Yaya Toure's peak form (when the Ivorian was surging forward from Midfield & banging in Goals with aplomb on a weekly basis)

I might be wrong though...

elampiro:


Pirlo did not start as a DM. His position went backwards as he grew older.

When did pirlo start influencing games? Is not when ancelotti decided to play him as a deep lying playmaker in Milan.

.

AdisaOwala:


The fella doesn't seem to be cut out for "midfield dictatorship" like the Modrics & Krooses of this world - his best bet could be to replicate Yaya Toure's peak form (when the Ivorian was surging forward from Midfield & banging in Goals with aplomb on a weekly basis)

I might be wrong though...

May be this is what we will get from him. I don't see him as one to orchestrate the flow of a game.

elampiro:


May be this is what we will get from him. I don't see him as one to orchestrate the flow of a game.

he's definitely not that type of midfielder.

funlord:





So chelsea did not fight for pogba? And barcelona did not fight for pogba?




You also claim united paid stupid money for players like pogba? Pogba had a 5 year contract running at juve and had also just come off the back of 3 superb title winning seasons.....so what did you expect united to do? Offer juve $500 or kidnap pogba and hold him to ransom? Do you have any inkling as to how soccer transfers work at all?




What makes him not worth the fee? Because he does not score a hat trick in every game? Is that his job? Does he not control things in midfield? See you comparing dele alli to pogba because we drew and spurs won! Mr man paul pogba is the best midfielder in united for now and is also one of the top 5 midfielders on earth at the moment HANDS DOWN!




I'm not suprised at your views anyway....after all you are the same person that was calling fellaini one of our best performing players as well as a solid midfielder some days ago....so why is your best performing midfielder always chopping the bench this days? Or why was the club also trying to get rid of him this summer? Or jose is saving him for the FA cup abi?




It seems your knowledge about this game can only be attributed to complete sports!

Lol at Pogba can control games!

And no, Abramovich wasn't ready to pay such stupid fees for Pogba and that was still the time Juve would take 60mil for Pogba.

Barca had first option on Pogba but never even tried to make a move for him due to the ridiculous transfer fees. Let's not forget the same Barca signed Neymaar for over 100mil fee, so it couldn't be that they don't have the money.

Pogba wanted Madrid move and even though Zidane kept on doing plenty of mouth service praise for his country man yet he never made any move for him!

I asked one fever blister looking fool to provide something and I never still see am

I dey wait for you oga

eph12:

And you honestly think you can separate this two? If you allow teams dominate you you will definitely leak goals.

We dey talk two different things.

elampiro:


The last match winner we had was Ronaldo. You don't know what match winners do.

Bale was also a match winner for Spurs. I don't count players like RVP, Chicha as match winners. They feed on efforts of others, they can be prolific though.

Even Scholes said any player worth that amount of Pogba should bang in goals Messi and Ronaldo

Rvp is no match winner? Don't say that again!

Without him, the last title wouldn't have happened. Unfortunately, he was already at the end of his peak and injuries didn't help too.

"I never criticise my players for missing chances. Their goalkeeper is the Man of the Match and deservedly so. We had some open chances where we could do better but I am never critical of my players for this. I can be critical of the attitude, with the quality of performance and for naive mistakes sometimes, but not in front of goal.

"He needs that (on Martial). It was an amazing goal. Very good initiative and very confident. So it was good from an individual point of view for him."


- Jose Mourinho

Oasis007:
"I never criticise my players for missing chances. Their goalkeeper is the Man of the Match and deservedly so. We had some open chances where we could do better but I am never critical of my players for this. I can be critical of the attitude, with the quality of performance and for naive mistakes sometimes, but not in front of goal.

"He needs that (on Martial). It was an amazing goal. Very good initiative and very confident. So it was good from an individual point of view for him."


- Jose Mourinho

Lol! Because his favourite players were the culprits!

Mourinho sha!

Oasis007:
SMALLING ENJOYING PARTNERSHIP WITH BAILLY

Chris Smalling believes his centre-back partnership with Eric Bailly will get "stronger and stronger" following an encouraging start at the heart of Manchester United's defence.

Smalling missed the start of the season because of a slight injury and a one-match suspension, which meant he only made his first start against Feyenoord on 15 September. However, since then, the England international has been a constant presence in Jose Mourinho's team alongside summer signing Bailly.

Speaking to MUTV last week, ahead of the 1-1 draw with Stoke City, Smalling assessed his flourishing alliance with the Ivorian recruit. “The more games we play together, the more we’re getting used to one another,” Chris said. “As defenders we need to be vocal and he’s getting a lot stronger at that, with his English really improving. He’s very physically imposing as well and really easy to play alongside.

“We’ve got certain calls and certain words which he, and any foreign player that comes in, can understand, no matter if his English is advanced or not,” Chris continued. “It’s about developing that, and the more games we get together I think we’ll get stronger and stronger.”

Since making his debut for the club against Leicester City in the Community Shield, Bailly has endeared himself to the United faithful with a number of combative displays. His performances have even led to a comparison with another colossal Reds defender in the form of club legend Nemanja Vidic.

“Nemanja was one of those defenders who was very aggressive, very dominant and took no nonsense,” Smalling told MUTV. “Eric plays the same way. He can go through a tackle and he doesn’t take risks. If it needs to go, it goes! You can see the similarities there and I expect Eric to have many good years here.”

He should better concentrate on improving his ball skills. All this talk na rubbish! You no be Vidic, you no be Ferdinand, wetin you con be? Mtchew!

parrotibaba:
Oga it was only during his final season, after both vidal and pirlo left the club that he was moved forward to an advanced role, the previous years he was a box to box midfielder in the club.
He was known to be a pawaful and energetic midfielder with skills and stamina, the goals were an added bonus, no be Pogba football pundits been the compare to Viera?.

Pogba excelled in a three man Midfield - there was always a hardworking Marchisio or Vidal alongside Pirlo to cover up for his tactical indiscipline.

Pogba is more or less a luxury player - the kind that likes to do his thing with the ball without necessarily considering the best option that would suit his teammates & Manager.

Having such a player in a 2-man Midfield could be detrimental to a team and like I said earlier, the only way he could compensate for this shortcoming would be for him to start scoring goals & creating assists.

parrotibaba:

His salary has nothing to do with the player,abi no be agent and club dey negotiate contract again?

This is hilarious...

So the agent negotiates the salary for himself & the player accepts whatever figures offered for his services abi?

Juve is being blamed for the astronomical transfer fees while the agent is at fault for negotiating huge wages for his client.

It seems excuses for Pogba have been well prepared even before he signed for us..

Oasis007:
"I never criticise my players for missing chances. Their goalkeeper is the Man of the Match and deservedly so. We had some open chances where we could do better but I am never critical of my players for this. I can be critical of the attitude, with the quality of performance and for naive mistakes sometimes, but not in front of goal.

Considering the fact that those Chances cost us the game..and the way he laid into Shaw a few weeks ago, it wouldn't be outta place to construe this interview as some form of "Arsè Kissing" his star players.

"Naive Mistake" is probably an indirect criticism of De Gea!

Diademk07:


Lol at Pogba can control games!

And no, Abramovich wasn't ready to pay such stupid fees for Pogba and that was still the time Juve would take 60mil for Pogba.

Barca had first option on Pogba but never even tried to make a move for him due to the ridiculous transfer fees. Let's not forget the same Barca signed Neymaar for over 100mil fee, so it couldn't be that they don't have the money.

Pogba wanted Madrid move and even though Zidane kept on doing plenty of mouth service praise for his country man yet he never made any move for him!

Yes he can and did that so well at Juve. Unfortunately, instead of moving to Madrid or even City, he was carried away by some crazy nostalgic emotions and now he has ended up in one of great European failures of the last few years. What a pity

SIRcumalot:

We dey talk two different things.

If you leak goals how do you expect to win matches you should ordinarily win? If you don't win matches you should win ordinarily how do you expect to carry the league?

I didn't complete the statement then because I expected you to be able to connect the dots. Football has changed a lot. You have to do more to win games and lift a trophy. Gone are those days you can afford to let smaller teams run at you knowing you will still win. It is different now.

edoyad:


Yes he can and did that so well at Juve. Unfortunately, instead of moving to Madrid or even City, he was carried away by some crazy nostalgic emotions and now he has ended up in one of great European failures of the last few years. What a pity

He never did that at Juve. That was Marchiso job after Pirlo left. In fact, he was terrible while Marchiso and Khedira were out injured not until both returned that he started to look good again.

No doubt Pogba actually has some incisiveness, tricks and pace in his arsenal to constantly be a threat but he doesn't have the intelligence, awareness etc to orchestrate the play.

Did you watch their cup final vs Millan? He was beyond terrible in that match while the inexperienced/unproven Lemina looked far better than him.

nyabinghi:
depay should be given more time to do what, he should be loaned to derby county where his talents are needed. We will see how coordinated united games are against the rampant kops or the wounded blues. Don't get ahead of yourself.

you only support Wayne Rooney and David Moyes tho, I'm not entirely sure you will see anything good in others effort.

eph12:

If you leak goals how do you expect to win matches you should ordinarily win? If you don't win matches you should win ordinarily how do you expect to carry the league?

I didn't complete the statement then because I expected you to be able to connect the dots. Football has changed a lot. You have to do more to win games and lift a trophy. Gone are those days you can afford to let smaller teams run at you knowing you will still win. It is different now.

I already told you we dey talk two different things
You're talking of gameplay.
Am talking about winning multiple EPL trophies consecutively like the old days.

AdisaOwala:


Pogba excelled in a three man Midfield - there was always a hardworking Marchisio or Vidal alongside Pirlo to cover up for his tactical indiscipline.

Pogba is more or less a luxury player - the kind that likes to do his thing with the ball without necessarily considering the best option that would suit his teammates & Manager.

Having such a player in a 2-man Midfield could be detrimental to a team and like I said earlier, the only way he could compensate for this shortcoming would be for him to start scoring goals & creating assists.

so you don finally gree say he wasn't an attacking midfielder in Juventus until his final year at Juve. He wasn't a luxury player at Juventus, he was pivotal to success of that Juventus team, I no know if you get personal problem with Pogba or not but don't come here and bullshit him.

This is hilarious...

So the agent negotiates the salary for himself & the player accepts whatever figures offered for his services abi?

Juve is being blamed for the astronoical transfer fees while the agent is at fault for negotiating huge wages for his client.

It seems excuses for Pogba have been well prepared even before he signed for us..

The agent is responsible for negotiating the salaries of players as their own share de always dey the money. You think Pogba will just ask for €300,000 per week by himself?. The club will present the contract and the available fees involved then the agent negotiates the contract. Why do you think that some players are making less than other players despite being in a club longer than the other players and possibly playing better? It depends on the bargaining powers of your agent.

Clubs offer more money to tempt players to come and in our situation, we had no champions league football so we had to stump up mega bucks to bring Pogba to the club. The agent will now negotiate the contract with the club and then they will reach an agreement with both the player and the agent before a contract is signed.

Aston Villa sacked Di Matteo earlier Today.....Swansea City follows - simply by replacing their Manager (Francesco Guidolin) with former USA Boss, Bob Bradley!

Who is next?!

ChristineC:
you only support Wayne Rooney and David Moyes tho, I'm not entirely sure you will see anything good in others effort.

same way your ilks don't see good in some united players. This team is still shitty. They have been exposed,