Browsing through the newspapers and checking the usual Internet sites this morning, you would be forgiven that yesterday's monumental victory was achieved solely by the right boot of Manchester United's number ten. While the highest praise must be reserved for the wonder strike that eased the Reds into a vital eight points ahead (with a game in hand) of their local rivals, the foundation for the three points was built on the foundations of our majestic Serbian skipper and more importantly his unheralded, inexperienced partner.
Make no mistake, Chris Smalling came of age as a true Manchester United player yesterday. Brought into the side following the loss of Rio Ferdinand, many were predicting this would be the crucial element in deciding the fate of the latest Manchester derby. Critics gleefully pronounced how United were not as strong without the tried and trusted Ferdinand and Vidic axis at the heart of the defence and reeled out stat after stat to prove their point. What they overlooked was the understated way that Smalling has adapted to life in the goldfish bowl that is Manchester United. By that I mean he was ready for the next challenge and they do not come much bigger than a pivotal match up with the "noisy neighbours" in a game that was always going to go a long way in deciding the destiny of the league title.
The one overriding, remarkable statistic when looking at the career of Smalling is that yesterday was just his 37th professional match! Just three short years ago he was plying his trade at non-league Maidstone and now with just a sprinkling of top flight games he had been plunged head long into the intensity of the Manchester derby. It is easy to forget that Smalling only played nine league games for Fulham before he left to join the Reds officially in July 2010 after the deal was agreed in the previous January. A lot of credit must go to the scouting network who clearly identified him as a hot prospect ahead even of breaking into the first team at Fulham which persuaded the manager to fork out a reputed £10 million for the 21 year old from Greenwich.
While you would have to urge caution at this time as "one swallow does not make a summer", the early signs are deeply encouraging. His display yesterday will begin to make United supporters believe that the Reds may have found a worthy successor to Rio Ferdinand when the England captain hangs up his boots. Many of the traits that everyone admires in Rio were clearly demonstrated by Smalling at Old Trafford yesterday - composure, pace, clean tackling and positional sense mean that he will only improve as he gets more experience under his belt in the coming years. As long as Ferdinand remains with the club then Smalling will get the best education possible as he looks to pass on the wealth of experience that he possesses to his young protégé.
With time and experience will come the vision to bring the ball out of defence with confidence, something that a young Rio had licence to do in the early stages of his career at West Ham before a realisation that learning the true art of defending may serve him better in the long run. United fans yesterday saw a glimpse of Smalling's ability higher up the pitch when he found himself the most advanced in a red shirt. Only a sloppy pass from Nani spared us the sight of a rampaging Smalling one on one with the current England number one goalkeeper and a possible permanent place in Old Trafford folklore.
Despite this glowing eulogy on the young centre back, everyone will agree that the return of Ferdinand is crucial to United's hopes of securing the record 19th league title. What will gladden the hearts of all of those who watch the Reds the length and breadth of the country is that waiting in the wings is a player with the quality to step in at a moment's notice as the Reds march purposefully towards their destiny at the climax of an exciting 2010/11 season.
More detailed thoughts on the game versus City will follow tomorrow and feel free to follow me on Twitter for news of upcoming blog posts.
Despite this glowing eulogy on the young centre back, everyone will agree that the return of Ferdinand is crucial to United's hopes of securing the record 19th league title. What will gladden the hearts of all of those who watch the Reds the length and breadth of the country is that waiting in the wings is a player with the quality to step in at a moment's notice as the Reds march purposefully towards their destiny at the climax of an exciting 2010/11 season.
More detailed thoughts on the game versus City will follow tomorrow and feel free to follow me on Twitter for news of upcoming blog posts.
Smalling played superbly, he was the 2nd best player for me on the pitch behind Nani. Very Good in the air from the start when he came to man utd, has played well in every game in which he was given the chance by Fergie. Still I have to see how he plays in Europe and aganist technical players. At 21, there is a lot of time for the lad to improve in some areas. where i want to is improvement is his long balls to strikers, we know he can hit long balls, didn't see any yesterday, may be he was on strict orders by fergie not to give the ball away cheaply.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree, "one swallow does not make a summer" but we have every right to be excited about Smalling. He has shown a capability to replace Rio but he will need to continue working hard and taking the advice of those more senior to him.
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