Manchester United and England defender Chris Smalling tells Anil Dias that his club team will take one game at a time and train hard to stand a chance of winning Premier League.
What do you put down your encouraging form this season to?
Obviously I have played a lot of matches this season and, touch wood, haven't had any injuries. I'm pleased with my form so far this season. However, I am always working hard to try to improve.
Is it a thankless job being a defender?
Not at all. A defender has a very important role to play and I enjoy playing at the back. It is a very physical and fast league to play in and our job is to make sure that we keep a clean sheet and get the ball moving forward so we can attack at the other end.
Manchester United has had a see-saw kind of a season so far. How does the team respond to criticism?
We've been very disappointed by some of the results and performances this season, and would be, whether we were being criticised or not. The only way to respond to criticism is to work hard on the training ground and win football matches, which is what we are trying to do.
Do you think the team can win the league this season?
We'd never give up on the league. All we can do now is concentrate on winning matches. I know it's a cliché but we just have to take each game as it comes.
Can you shed some light about teaming with Wayne Rooney?
Wayne is still a world-class player and he has matured a lot, particularly as his role has changed. He's now the team captain, meaning his role isn't always about grabbing the goals but organising the team so others can score. He's been on a good run of form recently, and scored some good goals. In recent months, he's become England's all-time leading goal scorer, has passed the 500-club appearances mark and taken over Denis Law's United scoring record, moving him to second in the rankings behind Sir Bobby. So that's amazing.
You've had the chance to partner Nemanja Vidic? and Rio Ferdinand, two legends at the club. What did you learn from them?
They were two of the greatest central defenders to have played for this great club and I enjoyed my time learning from them. During their time here, they won so much and that is the aim, not only of myself but of the whole team.
Not many are putting their money on England being Euro 2016 Champions. How do you see the team shaping up? Do you think the lack of pressure could work to your advantage?
I think we have a really good group of players and we will go into the championships in good shape. We don't bother ourselves with what people say about our chances. We will be fully focussed firstly on getting through the group stages.
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