"Maybe things are going better than I expected" is how Chris Smalling described his impact with Italian football after his transfer to Roma from Manchester United, a move that manager Paulo Fonseca pushes for:"We talked for the first time on the phone, I was still in Manchester and he described what type of defender he wanted- he revealed to Roma's official site- he made me truly feel it, and once the call ended I told myself let's do this"
Smalling explained his decision to play abroad:"I would never dismiss any ideas, going abroad or not, but I think it was more about the club – in terms of their ambitions and their goals for the season and if that sits in line with what I want. After I spoke with the manager about how he wants to play and how he saw me fitting in, that was what I needed. And then I think the fact it was abroad, in a country and a city that is so well spoken about and with a club that is so well-supported… well that was a major bonus, to be able to play and experience a new culture.”
Smalling described the differences between Premier League and Serie A:"In terms of the facilities and the schedules it is not too dissimilar. Like at United, here we are playing every few days so training in the week is more tactical and about recovery, rather than long training sessions. But 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.”
