Chris Smalling’s third season with the Giallorossi started in the worst way possible with the Englishman picking up an injury in Roma’s Conference League opener against Trabzonspor.
Since then, the centre-back was able to recover and return to the starting line-up where he consistently played ahead of the likes of Marash Kumbulla and Roger Ibañez.
Smalling has already bested the number of appearances from the previous season: so far, Corriere dello Sport reports that the 32-year-old has collected 27 appearances, with only 8 fouls committed in the entire campaign and no yellow cards.
The veteran’s experience and strength are a big reason why Roma’s unbeaten run continues. In the last seven matches with Smalling as a starter, Roma have kept four clean sheets.
