Is Chris Smalling better then any fit Arsenal centre half???

So, I know a few deluded Gooners, I want to see how many more there is out there or if there is some honest Gooners out there.

Chris Smalling, is he better than the current CB's you have in the squad?
Would be walk into the Arsenal starting 11 as a CB or not?

Don’t put your answers on a postcard, put them below!!

Id like to hear not only Arsenal and Manchester United fans responses but Football fans. Come on people, get stuck in.

Feel free to argue and cuss each other too, will make a nice laugh on a Friday afternoon.

Oh, Smalling >>>>> Any Arsenal CB, including that Verm guy who doesn’t play.

he'd be 4th choice at the emirates behind vermaelen, djourou and koscielny.

you take vidic away as his partner and he looks awful smalling

I will keep a tally above

he might be better then them in 3-4 years time but he isn't yet and any utd fan with any kind of sense knows that since he'll spend 3/4 of the season on the bench.

no

Sorry mate, I think there only one Arsenal CB hes could be behind.

Djourou = Poor.
Koscielny = Shocking.
Squillaci = Ever worse than the above.

His consistant preformences last season backed up with very good ones in high profile matches put him up on the list.

Im bored now, expect more wums. 606 was soo much better

nick_fury wrote:

Djourou = Poor.
Koscielny = Shocking.
Squillaci = Ever worse than the above.



Im bored now, expect more wums. 606 was soo much better

djourou is better then him you say arsenal fans are delusional djourou 1st choice cb > smalling bench boy

also if you want wums go elsewhere cos you won't get them here.

Kocielny is a great footballer, put him alongside Vermalen and you have a great pairing.

Smalling is a lumbering oaf

Smalling has the potential to be every bit as good as Rio, only better on the ball (I think is a vastly over-rated attribute of Rio's).

If all were under the same coach I think that Smalling would get in the side alongside Vermalen.

Also you say you expect more Wums - but youre the only one WUMing, and giving such a weighted question in the first place is a pretty pathetic wum.

and the answer is no.

I think he's overrated and no i aint a wum, but saying he's the new rio, etc don't make me laugh.

Young_Towzer wrote:I think he's overrated and no i aint a wum, but saying he's the new rio, etc don't make me laugh.

I wasn't intending to make you laugh. It was simply my opinion based on the evidence I have seen so far. He is young so could go either way, but I stand by my original point. If you want to laugh, fire away, I can't stop you. I prefer debate myself.

I don't think he's the next rio - but i wouldn't say it's an outrageous statement as he is young and does show promise.

Much like I don't think it's an outrageous statement to say that Rooney was very good in the new Planet of the Apes film...

He's not better than a fit Vermaelen but possibly better than the other three mentioned. At the moment he's all promise in the same way as Jonny Evans was and look at him now..hardly pulling up trees is he?

But this is what happens when Utd sign a young player. He automatically becomes the next big thing (Rio) and the world is his oyster. It's quite ironic that he cost double what Barca paid to take Pique back who is turning into one of the best centre backs in world football.

He could go on to be the best centre half of his generation but I could go on to win the lottery tomorrow. It's too early to judge. I think taking an obvious pot shot at Arsenal's expense is cheap myself...Verm the guy who doesn't play can't do so if injured can he?

i said in the old 606 forum that smalling will be a success but united fans on our board at the time were having none of it and yes smalling is better than every arsenal defender

ATM, Smalling is an above average PL CB, he is young enough and at the right sort of club to become a top class defender in a few yeras time, but he's still got a lot of work to do before he gets there.
He'd clearly be first choice for my club (Wigan Athletic), but that says more about our ineptitude than his talent.
In all honesty, if all your player are fit he should be nowhere near even the bench at Utd and he's a long way from international class too, but I guess in many peoples eyes being a part timer at Old Trafford some how ranks you as being better than a first choice player at a middling PL club, which is about his current level.

ReallyReal
In fairness, you and me would be a better central defensive partnership than the current starters at Wigan.

Smalling is a decent defender, and probably is the equal or better than all but Vermalen at Arsenal, but that's not saying much since Arsenal have a clear weakness in central defence.

He does have some ability on the ball, and I agree with the comment earlier about Rio being hugely over-rated in that regard - just because he doesn't immediately look to hoof it into row Z does not mean he is either a particularly good dribbler or passer.

Oh, and as for Rooney, I thought he was far better in Shrek 3 than in Planet of the Apes

Oh look a wum! Smalling isn't even that good. I'd rate him above Squillaci, on par with Djourou, behind Koscielny and streets behind Vermealen.

I'd have Vermaelen and Koscielny ahead of Smalling TBH. But then, I don't really rate Smalling all that high, never seen what the fuss is about, he's poor positionally, not all that strong or quick. Sure he's got good distribution, but that's not what you want from a Centre Half really is it?

Perhaps on of the more promising British defenders coming through. Seems very important to Man Utd, which says a lot given that Ferdinand isn't looking good and Vidic is out for a while.

I think I saw someone that said the Man Utd win % without him in the team was 46%, compared to 74% with him in the team.

Koscielny and Djourou are woeful, and considering he's an experienced international in a notoriously well drilled defence you'd expect Mertesacker to be fairly solid but he is so slow its unreal. He is totally exposed in the Premiership.

Is Smalling better than them? Probably not. They're all as bad as eachother.

Vidic, Kompany, Coloccini, Hangeland, Huth, Terry, Vermaelen.

They're probably the best centre halfs in the league for one reason or another.

No Daniel Agger H? I assumed you ruled him out because of his injury record but you've got Vermaelen and Vidic up there who have both had injury issues over the past two years.

Since he's come back to fitness he's been on the top of his game, and must be better than Huth?

The only team to have conceded less than Liverpool this year are Manchester City and I think Daniel Agger is the main reason for that, brilliant off the ball and on it.

Mr H wrote:Koscielny and Djourou are woeful, and considering he's an experienced international in a notoriously well drilled defence you'd expect Mertesacker to be fairly solid but he is so slow its unreal. He is totally exposed in the Premiership.

Is Smalling better than them? Probably not. They're all as bad as eachother.

Vidic, Kompany, Coloccini, Hangeland, Huth, Terry, Vermaelen.

They're probably the best centre halfs in the league for one reason or another.

Although I wouldn't call Koscielny awful, i agree with everything else you've said.

Mr H wrote:Koscielny and Djourou are woeful, and considering he's an experienced international in a notoriously well drilled defence you'd expect Mertesacker to be fairly solid but he is so slow its unreal. He is totally exposed in the Premiership.

Is Smalling better than them? Probably not. They're all as bad as eachother.

Vidic, Kompany, Coloccini, Hangeland, Huth, Terry, Vermaelen.

They're probably the best centre halfs in the league for one reason or another.

You clearly dont know what you are talking about...Koscielny is the second best defender in the league after Kompany.

As for Smalling...Potentially world class been impressed by him.

Where has Mertesacker been exposed for pace?...You dont win 70 plus caps for Germany if your not got something about you.

Top 15 Best Central defenders in league in this order:

Kompany
Koscielny
Vidic
King
Kaboul
Terry
Vermaelen
Agger
Skertel
Luiz
Hangeland
Mertesacker
Samba
Ferdinand
Smalling

The genius of PBF wrote:Where has Mertesacker been exposed for pace?...You dont win 70 plus caps for Germany if your not got something about you.

Top 15 Best Central defenders in league in this order:

Kompany
Koscielny
Vidic
King
Kaboul
Terry
Vermaelen
Agger
Skertel
Luiz
Hangeland
Mertesacker
Samba
Ferdinand
Smalling

Defender being the key word.

FreekShow wrote:

The genius of PBF wrote:Where has Mertesacker been exposed for pace?...You dont win 70 plus caps for Germany if your not got something about you.

Top 15 Best Central defenders in league in this order:

Kompany
Koscielny
Vidic
King
Kaboul
Terry
Vermaelen
Agger
Skertel
Luiz
Hangeland
Mertesacker
Samba
Ferdinand
Smalling

Defender being the key word.

Luiz is quality...Don't get sucked into the British media hype who have it in for foreign players...They make you believe cack players like Scott Parker is world class.

Give me Carrick over Parker anyday.

Smalling has the potential to be one of the best centre half's in the league but he's not there yet.
I think he's a bit behind Kos and Vermaelen at the moment but will get better I am sure.

For the posters above, Mertesacker will be a great defender in this league in the next year or two - however his lack of pace has been exposed on ridiculous numbers of occasions this year.

Kos has been our stand out defender this year. Rapidly becoming one of the best defenders in the league, but would certainly have Agger, Vidic, Kompany and a few others ahead of him at the moment.