I think the thing about Smith is that he offers something that none of the other players offer exactly. He covers from midfield through to striker, has reasonable defence, has good football vision, is able to play well with Sanchez, Daniel and co because he has reasonable technique, and he looks to start attacks from the back.
His passing is normally a step up from Lia's or Brown's.
Sanchez/Ward are players who are similar in their skills, but neither of them would normally play deep or at DM as their defense is a little suspect. Brown is similar in what he contributes (goals/midfield cover/defense) but is not as technically adept or quick as Smith, and scores more from the air, than from making some space for himself or one-two passing moves.
I think the thing about Smith is that he offers something that none of the other players offer exactly. He covers from midfield through to striker, has reasonable defence, has good football vision, is able to play well with Sanchez, Daniel and co because he has reasonable technique, and he looks to start attacks from the back.
His passing is normally a step up from Lia's or Brown's.
Sanchez/Ward are players who are similar in their skills, but neither of them would normally play deep or at DM as their defense is a little suspect. Brown is similar in what he contributes (goals/midfield cover/defense) but is not as technically adept or quick as Smith, and scores more from the air, than from making some space for himself or one-two passing moves.