03 Jul 2022 15:07:52
Martinez is 175 cm tall. That is all.

1.) 03 Jul 2022
03 Jul 2022 16:50:04
Cannavaro was the same height. What's your point?

2.) 03 Jul 2022
03 Jul 2022 16:50:23
Also it's not clear if he is playing CB or DM. We'll have to wait and see.

3.) 03 Jul 2022
03 Jul 2022 17:41:38
seems to be looked at as a CH - not a fan myself of having a smaller CH in the PL.

4.) 03 Jul 2022
03 Jul 2022 17:45:56
In a game like Basketball where height is more critical compared to Football, Michael Jordan is 198CM compared to Shaquille O'Neal at 216CM. MJ is considered as one of the greats of all time in NBA.

5.) 03 Jul 2022
03 Jul 2022 18:18:25
Michael Jordan played a different position than Shaq. Actually all players that play shaqs position are giants. Funny example that has nothing to do with a 175 cm CB in the PL.

6.) 03 Jul 2022
03 Jul 2022 18:45:30
Maguire is 6ft 4in and has been abysmal in ours and the oppositions box since he joined us.

If Martinez can defend better than our current lot then I’m all for it.

{Ed014's Note - I thought ed02 had said Martinez wasn’t interested in going to either United or Arsenal, two clubs supposedly interest in him and that he’d had better options.

7.) 03 Jul 2022
03 Jul 2022 19:37:12
Gary Nev at 1.76 mtrs says in his autobiography SAF told him he would be an excellent CH if he were taller and wouldn't risk him there.

As fans its all about opinions. I will just say if every PL team has 3 top CHs at their club then that's 60 in the league at any one time , going back 25 years that's 1500 CHs spots available.

In last 25 years we've seen SAF, Klopp. Pep, Wenger, Robson, Ancelotti, Jose, Benitez to name a few, we have seen Pls, CLS, FA cups, Europa league won by these managers - how many of them were won with a CH 5ft 10 or under? I know about Cannavaro, I know Kounde is well thought of, Martinez (who was a midfielder) might be decent but you can't ignore the statistics. and i'm just not a fan of them.

8.) 03 Jul 2022
03 Jul 2022 20:19:36
Defending is more about positioning and organisation. Pace, speed and height are generally your get out of jail card’s if your positioning and organisation is poor.

Anyone that wants to learn how to play defence should watch Paolo Maldini. Thought Cannavaro was a very good defender though, 100% times better than Nesta.

9.) 03 Jul 2022
03 Jul 2022 21:06:40
2009 CL final Messi scored a insane header against United. Rio, Oshea were just spectators. Vidic was trying to prevent the Cross from Xavi. Rio and Vidic were the two best defenders in the world at that time. Height advantage counted for nothing against Messi Who was not well known for his headed goals.

10.) 03 Jul 2022
03 Jul 2022 21:32:13
Wasn’t that the forward Martinez Ed?

{Ed014's Note - no it was the CB at Ajax as there was talk the idiots at Arsenal were looking to let Saliba go. ?‍♂️

11.) 03 Jul 2022
03 Jul 2022 22:08:39
I’m 170cm tall. That is all.

12.) 03 Jul 2022
03 Jul 2022 23:21:34
Samba, you’re completely wrong. Modern centres can be much smaller, as teams are often more concerned with athleticism than outright height. Smaller centres are better at blocking, rebounding and running transition offence and defence.

While Shaq is 7ft 1in, for example, the starting centres for NBA finalists this year were 6ft 9in and 6ft 8in.

13.) 04 Jul 2022
03 Jul 2022 23:50:04
Funny how most good insiders have said martinez wants only premier League football and told Ajax that. Further still, it's United that interest him the most ?.

14.) 04 Jul 2022
04 Jul 2022 08:47:52
6 feet 9 and 6 feet 8 are giants. How am I wrong? Giannis is the best one and he is a beast. What does basketball has to do with a midget center half in soccer? Jeez. Clutching at straws doesn't begin to describe the situation.

15.) 04 Jul 2022
04 Jul 2022 09:55:37
Giant in the NBA is relative. In the past centres were expected to be as tall as possible, as their role was to provide a large physical presence in the paint. In the modern era, height is no longer the determining factor, and skill sets are the key thing. For the last ten years ideas like small ball and positionless basketball have become the norm, as the league has become less about brute strength and more about athleticism and fast transitions.

6ft 8in and 6ft 9in are closer to Jordan’s height, 6ft 6in, than Shaq’s 7ft 1in.

Giannis is not a centre, he’s a power forward. He’s 6ft 11in and nicknamed the Greek Freak because of his ridiculous combination of height and athleticism.

The point is that in basketball, size is no longer the sole determinant in position.

16.) 04 Jul 2022
04 Jul 2022 22:28:02
Shaq wasn't just a tall guy, he was massive in terms of weight and strength and had ridiculous speed for a man of that size. Peak Shaq (2004) would have been dominant in any era. Be interesting to see another Shaq come through especially one strong at FT cause for a few years fouling was all you could do against him.

I would love to see players like Jordan in the modern game though, without the hand checking and physical defence that they had to contend with in their day.

I really like Ja Morant thought he had a brilliant last half to the season and what's he 6'3"?