Smalling Sights Set On Future

Injury interrupted Chris Smalling's part in the Reds' 20th title success, but he remains delighted with a second winners' medal and is already eyeing 2013/14...

Looking back on your season as a whole, what’s your assessment?
It’s one of a bit of frustration because I didn’t really get going until November and I had a few little niggling injuries, so I’ve not been out on the field as much as I would have liked. But the team success has been very good and I’ve been able to contribute something to that, though not as much as I’d have liked. Ultimately it’s about the team and the club, and we’ve been successful so I’m happy with that.

You must have been tearing your hair out earlier in the campaign with defenders out injured, which would have been an opportunity for you…
Yeah, exactly. You look for those opportunities to get in the side. There were a few chances throughout the season when we’ve had injuries and I’ve had a niggling injury too, so that’s frustrating. But we’ve won the title nice and early and we still have four games left to play. Hopefully I can be involved and then the plan is to get a full pre-season under my belt and next year have an injury-free campaign.

Players talk about pre-season providing that foundation for fitness throughout the season. How beneficial is it?
It’s crucial. It’s a block of training where everyone comes back from a refreshing break and you need to get up to speed quite quickly to get that sharpness into your game. If you miss that then sometimes you feel like you’re playing catch-up. You can be trying to get that base of fitness during the season. In the summer it’s great to train in a different climate and get your fitness up, so it’s a big period.

Have you laid down any specific plans this summer or are you simply hoping to get a full programme in with the rest of the squad?
Whilst we’re on holiday we still get a programme where you can keep yourself ticking over, so in the mornings we’ll do certain things on holiday. I’ll probably come back just before the rest of the lads return just to make sure I’m right up to speed with everything, then when the other lads are back I’ll be all firing and ready to go because it’ll be a big season for me and I want to stay injury-free and play a lot of games.

You came into the side in November and people talk about competition for places among our four strikers, yet there are five centre-backs at the club. Is that tough?
There’s a lot of competition in all the positions here. Myself and Phil [Jones] have played in different positions but ultimately we’re all centre-backs and when everyone is fit the manager has decisions to make. That’s one of our big strengths. There haven’t been too many occasions when all five centre-backs have been fit, but next season hopefully that is the case and we’ll have a real battle on our hands for places in the team. That can only be a good thing for the team because we’ll all be supporting each other and competing to be as good as we can be. It will keep everyone on their toes in training and if you get your chance you need to take it as there are three or four other players who can easily do a great job in your position.

Jonny [Evans] and Phil [Jones] have both said that the defenders are all very supportive of each other no matter who is picked…
Even though there’s competition, its purpose is to drive you on to perform better and we always want the other guys to do well because that means the team can be successful. That’s what we all want more than anything and that’s why we’ve done well this season. Even with the forwards, you can see Antonio [Valencia] and Nani get on really well and they play in the same position and they’re competing for a place in the side. There’s a good camaraderie among the group, which is shown on the pitch.

The manager has said that you, Jonny Evans and Phil Jones are the future for those centre-back spots, which must be encouraging to hear…
Yeah, it’s great to have that backing from the manager. We’ve got a lot to learn but we’re in safe hands, that’s for sure.

This will be your second title winners’ medal; how does winning it this time compare to your first in 2010/11?
It means just as much. The difference is that last year was a massive disappointment so it’s nice to turn it around so quickly.

Did you learn anything new about the club and the mentality here this season responding to last season?
There’s always a hunger for success here but there was a really noticeable steely determination this season to make sure from that first minute of pre-season we knew exactly what we wanted to achieve. We really knuckled down and for most of the season we have been leading the way and it’s certainly paid off.

You played in some of the high-scoring games this season – Villa 3-2, Reading 4-3, City 3-2, Newcastle 4-3 – what were those games like to be involved in?
Sometimes when there are so many goals in a game people look at the defence, but whenever we have been behind or chasing a victory then all eleven players are looking for the best way for the team to attack and to score goals. Even when we’re a goal down it’s not just a case of getting one goal to equalise, we’re looking for a way to win games. We’ve won a lot of points from losing positions and that shows why we’re so far ahead: we’ve got that determination.

As a defender, I take it you took more satisfaction from the run of clean sheets in the second half of the season?
[Laughs] Yeah, I’ll take a 1-0 win over those 4-3s or 5-4s any day! It’s been good that we’ve had a fully-fit squad in the second half of the season and we’ve seen the results on the pitch.

Robin van Persie’s goals have been a crucial part of clinching the title, but is there something more to the impact he has made on the club?
It’s his overall approach and the way he goes about things. You can just tell he’s top class. I remember when he first joined in training and everyone got a lift from that. He gets on really well with the lads which is really important because you have to all get on with the other players to make things work as a team. He’s settled in straight away and he’s shown how comfortable he is here by the way he is playing.

The manager says he wants everyone to know that they have contributed to the season so he’ll be using his full squad before the end of the season. Is that an opportunity for you to lay down a marker for next season?
I’ve got a few games to show the manager that, next season, I should be in with a shout of starting. That’s the aim.