Chris Smalling

SMALLING: WE NEED TO BE
MENTALLY STRONGER
Chris Smalling insists he and his teammates
must learn from their mistakes as United were
twice pegged back in Tuesday night's draw with
Newcastle United.
The England international was in the thick of an
entertaining encounter on Tyneside, as two goals
from Wayne Rooney either side of a Jesse
Lingard strike looked to have the Reds on course
for a third consecutive victory in all
competitions.
But Paul Dummett's late leveller came at a
crucial time according to Smalling, who is calling
for more mental strength at key moments during
games.
"I think if you came into the changing rooms
after the match, it was like we’d lost the game,"
he told MUTV.
"We put ourselves in such a good position and
we could have finished it a little bit earlier, but
even when we did so well to get to 3-2, we need
to hold on and be a bit stronger.
"We got that early goal which settled us down
and we could have scored more, but it’s about
finding that balance so we’re not giving away
these sloppy goals just before half-time and just
before the final whistle. They’re key times in the
game and we need to make sure we’re switched
on."
The defender also felt he had been hard done-by
for Newcastle's second goal, which came
courtesy of an Aleksandar Mitrovic penalty after
referee Mike Dean adjudged Smalling to have
brought down the Serbian in the box midway
through the second half.
"We were both jostling for positions throughout
the game. The referee said we were both at it so
he didn't give anything and I think there needs
to be that consistency with the decisions. You
can see my shirt was clearly pulled as well so
it’s just about consistency. If you’re going to
give them, fair enough, but you need to be giving
them on a regular basis."
The defender believes Newcastle's last-gasp
goal will do little to dent United's confidence
ahead of Sunday's grudge match against
Liverpool, adding: "I think in recent times we’ve
done very well against them, obviously this year
at Old Trafford and last season we’ve got very
good results, so we’re very confident of going
there and causing them a problem."

Smalling apparently stung by jellyfish while holidaying in Bali.

www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/chris-smalling-jellyfish-bali-united-11562370

:lol:

You have to laugh or you'd go insane.

He didn't look right towards the end of the match, hopefully not serious.