Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal is not impressed with Chris Smalling following the club’s 1-0 defeat to Manchester City.
Though United held on to keep the match at 0-0 going into half-time, Smalling earned a second yellow card minutes before the break after throwing himself into James Milner, thus putting the club down to 10 men for the rest of the game.
Speaking after the Manchester derby, Van Gaal said that Smalling’s actions were “not so smart”, adding: “In a derby you have to be careful – the second yellow card is a stupid yellow card. The first I didn’t see but as a player with a yellow card you have to deal with that. You have to control your aggression. I said that to the players.
He continued: “You cannot do what he has done. He said (sorry) and is very humble. You can only accept it.”
Chris Smalling’s actions have infuriated United supporters, who are witnessing their club’s continued fall from grace following the departure of Alex Ferguson. While United had City on their toes a handful of times and made keeper Joe Hart save a couple of shots, they’re still playing far below the level that is expected of them, and Smalling arguably contributed to their defeat in the most heated game of the Premier League season.
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