Millwall tipped for big change after Will Smallbone signing - Alex Neil needs to be very careful | OneFootball

Lee Hendrie feels Millwall will be more ball-oriented now that Will Smallbone has arrived, but Alex Neil needs to be careful how far he takes that.

Millwall are well renowned for their dogged, rough-around-the-edges nature, and their midfielders pride themselves on being tough tacklers and solid out of possession.

Therefore, it may have come as a surprise to some to see Will Smallbone join the club on loan from Southampton for the season.

Not because he's a bad player, far from it, but mainly due to his style of play being rather the opposite of how Millwall teams in the past have played.

George Honeyman and George Saville both departed the club this past summer, two gritty midfielders who covered plenty of ground and won the ball a lot in the midfield. Massimo Luongo, one of Alex Neil's summer recruits, fits that mould, but Smallbone possibly less so.

Alex Neil must be careful not to stray too far from Millwall's DNA with Will Smallbone signing

After the loan was confirmed, Sky Sports pundit Lee Hendrie said in an exclusive interview with Football League World that Alex Neil may be "trying to change the style of play a bit more by bringing him in," to match Smallbone's ball-playing ability.

Whilst adding a different dynamic to the side can be useful at times, the Millwall boss needs to be wary of veering too far away from what many associate the Lions with.

Losing the likes of George Saville and George Honeyman at the end of their contracts this past summer indicated a refresh in the midfield, as both were key names at the club for a decent amount of time - Saville since he rejoined from Middlesbrough in 2021, and Honeyman since his arrival in 2022.

Massimo Luongo and Will Smallbone seem to be the two players brought in to replace those outgoings, strengthening a midfield which already includes the likes of Billy Mitchell and Luke Cundle.

Both Luongo and Smallbone were part of sides that achieved promotion the last time they played in the Championship, at Ipswich Town and Southampton, respectively, but both played completely different roles in those teams.

Whilst Luongo ended up finishing the 2023/24 season ranking in the upper 20th percentile of central midfielders in all defensive stats, per Fotmob, Smallbone only did in tackle percentage, instead ranking in the top 10th percentile for successful passes and pass accuracy.

Ultimately, this was for a Russell Martin side who averaged 66% possession, the most in the league that season, but this shows that Smallbone's strengths lie in keeping the ball and doing little work out of possession.

Last season, Honeyman and Saville were in the top 10% of players in their position for tackles won, interceptions and fouls committed, indicating a lot of work done off-ball, which Smallbone didn't have to do whilst at Southampton.

Additionally, in the 2023/24 campaign, Smallbone registered 1,889 successful passes. Last season, Honeyman and Saville combined mustered only 1,375.

Therefore, could the loan signing of Smallbone indicate a change in style? Whilst still only 46.3%, Millwall's average possession through four games is higher than their average across the last three seasons, which could suggest a slight difference from their high-intensity, off-ball style.

And the Southampton loanee's presence could see that possession number increase even further, as that number is taken from games before the 25-year-old makes his debut.

Will Smallbone can be a tough-tackling midfielder too, if needed

Ultimately, whilst some changes can be welcomed, Millwall are Millwall, and Millwall likes being Millwall.

They are synonymous with being difficult to play against and tough to beat, leaning into the physical side of the game and weaponising the electric and hostile atmosphere generated at The Den.

Therefore, seeing no points or goals from their opening two home games in the Championship this season and then a ball-playing midfielder joins the club on deadline day; some Lions fans may be getting a little worried that, whilst Alex Neil has done well with the side so far, he's taking away a little too much of their identity.

Well, if that fear is exacerbated by Smallbone's arrival, it's worth giving it a few games to see what the 25-year-old's role in the Millwall side is, because the Southampton loanee can be a 'Millwall-style' midfielder if needs be.

During his season on loan at Stoke City during the 2022/23 campaign, Smallbone registered the most interceptions out of any central midfielder in the Championship, as well as landing in the upper fourth percentile of tackles won and recoveries.

Evidently, whilst it's been a few years since he's had to be at that level defensively, the 25-year-old can be exactly what Millwall fans want out of a midfielder, even if his previous qualities lie in ball retention and high passing numbers.

Therefore, Smallbone's statistics in a Lions' shirt should be assessed a few weeks after his debut, to truly see if Alex Neil is further differing from what many associate with Millwall football club.