The first game week of the 2023/24 Premier League season is in the record books, and we sat down with former Manchester United and Newcastle star Alan Smith to get his thoughts on the coming campaign. We discussed how he thinks the season will pan out for his former clubs, Newcastle’s chances in Europe, his own career, and more.
Manchester United’s 23/24 Season
Smith joined Manchester United in 2004, spending three years at the club and winning one Premier League trophy. The club has changed significantly since then, but Smith believes Ten Hag is the man to steer the ship back to success at Old Trafford.
Talking about the Dutch manager’s tactics for the campaign and how he will get the best out of a very talented squad, he said, “I’m pretty sure Ten Hag will deploy the 4-2-3-1 that he used last season. Bruno gives you so much with his passing range and his goals. Bringing Casemiro in was a masterstroke to release Bruno more, and we saw the rewards of that. I thought they looked really good in pre-season, especially the interplay. They look like they have so much athleticism going forward.”
He also praised Ten Hag for appointing Bruno Fernandes as captain, saying that the Portuguese star can get the best out of his teammates and set high standards for everyone to live up to.
Smith also reflected on the captains he had played under, highlighting Roy Keane from his Manchester United days as a very vocal leader who led by example. He also spoke highly of Lucas Radebe, his captain at Leeds.
Teammates Through The Years
Smith played at five clubs in a career that spanned two decades, and in that time, he run into some of the game’s most competitive and fiery players. Talking of players boiling over, he said, “Tempers didn’t boil over between me, Roy Keane and Alan Shearer, but at a good club, fights happen all the time.”
He said he believes there is too much fuss made over fights these days. Adding that players had fights because they cared and that criticising one another was all part of the camaraderie of the game.
He added that Ronaldo, his teammate at Man United, was always on the receiving end of physical challenges but believed that helped him rise to the top. “Cristiano Ronaldo was used to players going in hard on him; it probably helped him a lot”
Premier League Predictions
Of course, with the new Premier League season underway, we took the chance to get some early predictions from Smith. While he wouldn’t commit to naming the champions, he named Man United, Man City, Arsenal and Liverpool as his top four.
He backed Newcastle to continue to be a force but predicted they would fall short of the top four this season. He believes Chelsea is a work in progress and that while Poch will succeed, hitting the top four will be difficult.
Newcastle In Europe
Smith’s former club, Newcastle United, have qualified for the Champions League for the first time in over 20 years, and he believes their success will depend on how kind the group stage draw is for them.
“The group stage will determine how far Newcastle go”. He said, continuing by saying that St James Park will provide a brilliant atmosphere on European nights and that team will want to take a trip there on a Tuesday or Wednesday night.
Love For The Game
One thing that was clear throughout our chat with Smith was his love for the game. He talked about his commitment to succeeding in the game, admitting, “I’ve never had a drink of alcohol in my life based on the fact that if I fail, I want to fail under my own steam and not give myself any excuses which I never have done.”
He also talked about keeping a positive attitude when he suffered a broken leg in a match for Manchester United against Liverpool in 2006. He said, “I could have cried about the injury I got at Anfield and let it ruin my career. People say you’re not as good as you used to be, well, I know why, I’m playing at 50% of what I used to be. You have to reinvent yourself to be somebody completely different to what people perceived you as before.
Smith eventually left the Premier League in 2012, heading down to League One MK Dons. He would make over 50 appearances for the club before spending nearly four years at Notts County.
Talking of his time in the Football League, he said, “I wanted to play because I enjoyed it. It would have been so easy to retire. Some people say they want to retire when they’re no longer good enough for the Premier League; well that moment in time, you have to remember why you started. I saw lads at Notts County who were sleeping on sofas just because they couldn’t afford to rent on their own. In one house, whoever was playing on Saturday got to use the bed because three were in a two-bed house. That opened my eyes to what some of these lads go through in the lower leagues, and it’s amazing.”
