Opinion: Smalling makes impact as new defensive leader

Paulo Fonseca’s side won three games on the bounce and now find themselves third in the league table. The English centre back has played his part, scoring a goal and marshalling the defence in two fearsome tests, in the form of Milan and Napoli.

In just a few weeks, Smalling has become the cornerstone of the Giallorossi rear-guard, a crucial reference point. He’s given the back-line calm and mental solidity, following a season in which defensive fragility was a constant dilemma. Against Milan he had Federico Fazio at his side; against Udinese it was the Argentine, then Gianluca Mancini; against Napoli meanwhile he provided guidance to Mert Cetin on his first start, helping him with positioning and coordinated movements.

The impact Smalling is having in his first Serie A campaign is surprising. He did not even need a short bedding-in phase, which would have been completely natural after making the move from the Premier League, which is very different, particularly as regards playing style and tactical principles.

In the long interview given as part of the club's “ Big Interview” series, Smalling spoke about what he needed to quickly learn at Roma: “In terms of the games, especially watching more Serie A since I’ve been here and studying the opposition, I think compared to England you have a lot more teams who are playing with two central forwards, who are causing you a lot more problems.

"In England quite often you have to deal with just one striker, so you’ve got your other central defender covering you – whereas often here you can be left two-on-two a lot of the time. There’s a lot more runs in behind being made too. So it’s definitely new challenges, which I’m enjoying – because I quite like a tussle and a sprint against the striker. It definitely suits my game.”

Since his debut against Atalanta, in which he was one of Roma’s best performers, Smalling has displayed the capabilities that were showcased in his 323 appearances for Manchester United: physical strength, positional sense, strength in one-on-ones and aerial duels. During the last three games, he’s further demonstrated the influence he has on his team-mates.

Smalling went close to scoring his first goal for the club in the clash with Milan, going close late in the game with a header. However three days later the moment arrived, away at Udinese. It was a historic moment, as he became the first ever Englishman to score for the Giallorossi.

In Udine the defender pounced on the hosts’ failure to deal with a Roma corner, firing home with his right-foot from just a few yards out. It was a crucial goal for Roma, as they went 2-0 up despite being down to 10 men.

On Saturday, against Napoli, Smalling raised his level of performance even further, in a match that everyone had their eyes on. The game represented a real test for the Roma rear-guard, against one of the best teams in Serie A. It was also the contest between Smalling and the man he replaced as defensive leader, Kostas Manolas, who was on the opposing side.

When thinking about his performance in that contest, the first thing that springs to mind is most probably the incredible goal-saving clearance in the 28th minute. Lorenzo Insigne sent a free-kick into the box from the left, finding Giovanni Di Lorenzo at the back post. The Napoli defender’s header had beaten Pau Lopez and was heading goal-wards, but Smalling quickly switched his attention from marking Manolas to stretch out his left boot and get the ball clear. It was a stunning intervention that preserved Roma’s one-goal lead in the match.

Smalling’s performance in this game was about much more than that, however. The former Manchester United man led the defence with focus and bravery, which is needed when looking to push up at the right time, with the risk of ending up man-to-man against opponents of the quality of Dries Mertens and Arek Milik.

The defender constantly helped out Cetin and demonstrated his physical strength against Milik and Fernando Llorente, looking at times to beat his man to the ball, as he managed in this case in the first half.

This second-half challenge led to the fast-paced attack which ended with Justin Kluivert rattling the crossbar.

By the end of the game, Smalling had won five duels out of six, intercepted the ball five times and won it back six times. He showed his ability in aerial duels, winning two of two, which makes him a tough obstacle in the penalty area. According to WyScout, Smalling ranks highest among Serie A defenders for the proportion of aerial duels won (76.9%).

The Roma number six also produced two passes in the move that allowed Roma to get around Napoli’s attempts to press and led to Nicolò Zaniolo’s goal. In Serie A, Smalling is more involved in build-up play than he was in the Premier League, and that is something else he is adapting to.

In his first eight games for Roma, Smalling has made an average of 42.8 passes per 90 minutes, with a success rate of 90.4%. He has played an average 4.7 passes per match into the attacking quarter of the pitch and 13.4 passes forward.

Last season, in the Premier League, he made an average of 33.3 passes per match, of which 2.99 were into the attacking quarter, while 11.7 were forward.

Against Cagliari, Smalling made 79 passes. Since the 2015/16 season, only once has the defender made more in match (91 in Manchester United 4-0 Wigan in the FA Cup, on 29 January 2017).

In Italy, he’s discovering new functions to his game and can become an even more complete defender.

The impact of the former United man on the team’s performances is clear by looking at the numbers: Roma conceded eight goals in the six games where he was missing and conceded six in the eight matches in which he did feature.

This ambitious Roma side, with which Fonseca is so pleased, is propped up by a solid defensive base.