Picking a Starting XI of the Tallest Players in the Premier League 2019/20
The Premier League is becoming renowned for tricky wingers with a low centre of gravity, and strikers with pace and skill who can run in behind defences. It is a model that served Manchester City and Liverpool well for so much of their success last season.
Yet there is still a place for the giants of the game, with set-pieces deciding games on a regular basis. Set up in a 5-3-2 formation, here is a list of the tallest starting XI that the Premier League has to offer...
GK - Lovre Kalinic - 6ft 7in
The Croatian international is some way down the pecking order at Aston Villa now, especially with the arrival of Tom Heaton this summer. He has been linked with a move away in the final days of the European transfer window but, for now, he remains in the Midlands.
Standing at over two metres tall, Kalinic is a huge presence between the sticks, but it seems that he will have to move elsewhere to start playing regular first-team football once more.
RB - Simon Francis - 6ft 3in
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Francis is currently recovering from a serious knee injury, but the veteran defender has not been forgotten about on this list.
The Bournemouth captain will hope to return soon having not played since Boxing Day last year, and at 6ft 3in he will certainly make his presence felt.
CB - Jannik Vestergaard - 6ft 6in
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Vestergaard is an ever-present in the Southampton side, and it is easy to see why. The towering figure brings much-needed physicality to the defence, as he played his part in ensuring that the Saints avoided relegation with some degree of comfort in the end last season.
He has started each of Southampton's first four games this season as well, heading home the equaliser in the 1-1 draw with Manchester United.
CB - Dan Burn - 6ft 7in
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When someone mentions the name Dan Burn, one word springs to mind: giant. At well over two metres tall, the 27-year-old really stands out on the pitch.
Yet this season he has proved that he is more than just a lanky centre back, as he has become a regular in the Brighton defence, impressing under new manager Graham Potter.
CB - Yerry Mina - 6ft 5in
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Yerry Mina may feel slightly outdone by his fellow central defenders in this backline, but at 195cm he is still a force to be reckoned with. The former Barcelona man showed exactly what he can do in the air by scoring a towering header for Colombia against England in last year's World Cup.
With Kurt Zouma returning to Chelsea over the summer, Mina has started every Premier League game for Everton so far, helping the team to clean sheets in their opening two fixtures.
LB - Adam Masina - 6ft 3in
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Occupying the left back spot is Watford's Masina. The Italian full back was in and out of the side last season and has failed to even make the squad for Watford during the current campaign.
However, with the Hornets getting off to a poor start, he may still get his chance to work his way back into contention in the coming weeks.
CM - Scott McTominay - 6ft 4in
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McTominay has had to be patient in waiting for his chance to become a first-team regular at Manchester United. However, with Nemanja Matic now appearing to be past his best, McTominay has made the holding role his own for now.
Despite being tall, the Scottish international is also agile, meaning he can get across the ground quickly to break up the play and allow others higher up the pitch to flourish.
CM - Nemanja Matic - 6ft 4in
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Joining McTominay in the midfield is his United teammate Matic. The Serbia international, a former Premier League title winner with Chelsea, was one of United's under-performing players last season and has paid the price at the start of the current campaign.
He has failed to start any of the first four Premier League games and faces a battle to get back into the team given McTominay's impressive consistency in recent weeks.
CM - Philip Billing - 6ft 4in
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Billing was relegated with Huddersfield last season but showed enough quality to earn a move to Bournemouth over the summer.
With the team struggling with injuries in midfield, he will be tasked with bringing some steel to a side that has been seen as a little lightweight in years gone by.
ST - Andy Carroll - 6ft 4in
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Carroll has yet to pull on the back and white stripes during his second spell on Tyneside due to injury, but when he does expect him to cause defences plenty of problems in the air.
That was his trademark when he was last at Newcastle, attacking balls into the box and regularly getting the better of his marker. The Geordie faithful will hope that he can reap havoc once more when he returns.
ST - Olivier Giroud - 6ft 4in
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Giroud is battling with Tammy Abraham for the lone striker role at Chelsea, and it seems that the pair will be regularly rotated throughout the season.
The World Cup winner would have thought that this was his season to become Chelsea's main man with Eden Hazard departing, but he still has plenty to prove to Frank Lampard. He will hope that his physical presence and ability to hold the ball up and bring others into play will see him get the nod more often as the season progresses.
