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The Premier League has been home to some real giants of the game. Be it all 2.03m of Costel Pantilimon scraping the top of the crossbar, Nikola Zigic, who scored just two headed goals during his Premier League career despite crashing in at 2.02m, or Peter ‘good feet for a big man’ Crouch; the English top flight has been blessed with a selection of gangly frames down the years.

Pantilimon, Zigic, and Crouch have all moved on to pastures new – the Cypriot First Division, the Championship and Saturday night light entertainment – leaving pretty sizeable gaps to fill.

Fortunately, a selection of fellow tall pros have come forward to step into their – presumably rather large – shoes. Let’s take a look at the very tallest currently plying their trade in the top flight.

Dean Smith’s decision to convert Tyrone Mings from a left-back to a centre-half proved a masterstroke for the defender’s career.

Mings was an out of favour full-back at Bournemouth, but under Smith’s tutelage he helped guide Aston Villa to promotion to the Premier League, before earning his first international call up.

Was it an absolute tactical masterpiece from Smith, opting to utilise Mings’ composure and ball playing skills in order to convert him into a traditional, modern day centre-half? Or did he just, you know, look at him? He’s 1.96m for goodness sake, of course he’s a central defender.

A common theme on this list is goalkeepers who are taller that 1.96m, but are not first choice at their respective clubs.

Tottenham number one Hugo Lloris is a full 8cm shorter than Paulo Gazziniga – but Lloris has made 216 more Premier League appearances than the Argentinian.

The Southampton goalkeeper started the season as the Saints number one, but hasn’t featured in the Premier League since their 9-0 humbling at home to Leicester – which, to be fair, was hardly his fault.

Gunn was replaced by the minuscule 1.93m Alex McCarthy as the Southampton first choice, and Ralph Hasenhüttl’s side have since zoomed up the Premier League table.

Hasenhüttl also dropped lofty centre-half Jannik Vestergaard before Southampton’s impressive run of Premier League form began, and 2.01m stopper Fraser Forster’s been out on loan at Celtic. Has a weird case of small man syndrome from the 1.91m Southampton boss been at the heart of the Saints’ upturn in fortunes? There’s a conspiracy theory we can all get behind.

What Wayne Hennessey lacks in knowledge of Nazi Germany, he more than makes up for in height.

The Crystal Palace number two has been a mainstay in the Premier League since making his top-flight debut for Wolves back in 2009, but his minutes have waned for the Eagles this season.

Hennessey has featured just three times for Palace in the Premier League this season – his fewest top-flight appearances since the 2013/14 campaign.

The Burnley number three has all the height but not a Premier League appearance to show for it.

The Clarets signed Jensen from Danish club Hellerup IK in 2019, but he currently finds himself behind Nick Pope – seven years his senior but 7cm his junior – and Bailey Peacock-Farrell in the Turf Moore pecking order.

Since the Premier League restarted, he has made the Burnley match day squad for the first time – stooping to get into the dugout to sit on the bench for the Clarets’ recent fixtures against Manchester City, Watford and Crystal Palace.

Dan Burn is an enigma. Some sources say he’s 1.98m, others say he’s broken the 2m mark and actually stands at 2.01m. Either way, if the Brighton defender is standing in front of you at a gig, you’re not going to have a particularly enjoyable evening.

Burn has been a mainstay in the Brighton backline this season, missing just four Premier League games due to a collarbone injury sustained in January.

He’s got all the height of a burly centre-half, but actually operates at left-back, meaning fans were given an absolute treat when he marked all 1.65m of right winger Aaron Lennon during Brighton’s clash with Burnley in September 2019.

The Southampton centre-half takes the prize for the tallest outfield player in the Premier League. In the absence of the 2020 Ballon d’Or, it’s arguably this year’s greatest sporting accolade.

Vestergaard has been in and out of the Saints team since signing from Borussia Monchengladbach in 2018. He was part of the backline that shipped nine goals against Leicester, and – like fellow tall man Angus Gunn – has featured more sporadically since Southampton’s upturn in fortunes at the turn of the year.

Proving once and for all that height isn’t everything.

When it comes to height and Premier League appearances, Matt Macey has a lot of one and not a lot of the other.

Arsenal’s third-choice goalkeeper is yet to make his top-flight debut – although he has been on the bench for the Gunners’ last six in the absence of the injured Bernd Leno.

Standing at 2.01m, Macey is officially the tallest player in the Premier League, while simultaneously acting as an excellent social distancing gauge if you lie him down.

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Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has an unenviable goalkeeping conundrum on his plate that desperately needs solving ahead of next season.

He has two potentially top class goalkeepers at his disposal. One is enduring a worrying dip in form that has stretched back, on and off, for now more than two years. The other is an up and coming talent who may not be quite ready for what United would expect of him.

Does Solskjaer stick with David de Gea? Or does he make a change and put faith in Dean Henderson?

The reality is that it isn’t black and white and the answer is probably somewhere in the middle.

De Gea began the Premier League restart by making a costly mistake in United’s 1-1 draw with Tottenham, beaten by a Steven Bergwijn shot that should have been a comfortable save. His latest gaffe came as he weakly parried an effort from Chelsea’s Mason Mount into the net, a killer second goal that took the FA Cup semi-final clash at Wembley beyond his team.

There have been others in between over the last few weeks.

De Gea can be the best in the world. He undoubtedly was for several years between 2015 and 2018 until his form and consistency deserted him, paving the way for high profile errors to enter his game.

His form was already beginning to waver prior to the 2018 World Cup when a howler in a 3-3 draw against Portugal brought the issue to prominence. Despite still pulling off fantastic saves, it is like his confidence has never recovered and things that he used to do so easily have become a struggle.

Three high profile errors in March and April 2019 against Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea hit hard, suggesting there was more of an issue than a minor blip the previous summer. Around the same time he lost his place in Spain’s first choice XI and is still yet to permanently regain it as a result of competition from Chelsea’s Kepa Arrizabalaga and Roma’s Pau Lopez.

More lapses against Crystal Palace, Everton and Watford in the first half of this season proved the problem wasn’t going away. Further errors in recent weeks, which have seen the slump last more than two years, begs the question of whether it is still just a blip or something more serious.

Solskjaer clearly still backs De Gea, labelling the 29-year-old the ‘best goalkeeper in the world’ in the wake of the Tottenham error. That clearly is no longer true but it is understandable the United boss is standing by his player, perhaps protesting a little too loudly.

Solskjaer and his staff must now judge whether or not De Gea has it in him to return to his former best – Joe Hart has never recovered since losing his place at Manchester City – and how they coax it out.

Simply persevering and ignoring there is an issue, publicly at least, so far hasn’t worked.

In Dean Henderson, United have one of the most promising young goalkeepers in Europe at their fingertips. The 23-year-old has enjoyed two phenomenal seasons on loan with Sheffield United, thriving thanks to the opportunity to play regular first-team football.

From being a star of the Championship in 2018/19, Henderson, like his Blades teammates, has translated that form into the top flight and has played his way into the England squad.

Where United are concerned, Henderson fits the brief of young, home-grown, domestic talent. The problem that his parent club has is that he’s far from the finished article and still has a way to go before he can considered among the best in the world, which is what they ultimately want.

Henderson has made errors himself this season, but he has been under far less scrutiny than De Gea, largely owing to his age and the fact that Sheffield United have massively exceeded all expectations. Crucially for his development, he has been allowed to make those mistakes without fear of a backlash, unlike De Gea, whose confidence is in pieces.

If Henderson is suddenly catapulted into a situation where he is number one goalkeeper at Manchester United, the scrutiny will be much, much harsher and every mistake will be magnified.

At this stage, Henderson would be a gamble if it means replacing someone who was the best in the world within the last three years for someone else who remains relatively untested at the required level. United could hypothetically install him as number one and sell De Gea to the highest bidder – thereby boosting the summer transfer budget – ahead of next season. Problem solved? Hardly.

There is always the risk that Henderson is not cut out for the task. Plenty of goalkeepers are excellent shot stoppers, but keeping goal for the best teams is a different challenge and requires a great deal of mental strength and powers of concentration. Edwin van der Sar was a master of this, De Gea had it too until he seemingly lost it. The aforementioned Joe Hart never quite nailed it, while it is also what will stop England’s Jordan Pickford from ever breaking into the world elite.

Worst case scenario, Henderson could make a high profile error only a handful of games into his first season as number one in Manchester and the reaction destroys his confidence, by which time De Gea could already be gone and it would be irreversible.

In the short-term, United have to find a way to actually balance the two and have them compete against each other. Arguably a lack of serious competition for De Gea has contributed to his downfall – back-up Sergio Romero, while a quality goalkeeper in his own right, is never going to be number one. Henderson, meanwhile, still needs to do more to prove himself and a year in full-on competition would arguably be more valuable than another season playing elsewhere on loan.

It might be difficult convincing Henderson to return to Old Trafford without assurances that he will be number one. But it is too soon for the club to get rid of De Gea and the younger eventual heir to the United gloves needs to gamble on himself that he can earn them anyway.

For more from Jamie Spencer, follow him on Twitter and Facebook!

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The Ballon d’Or ceremony is one of the most highly anticipated events of the football calendar. We all want to see who can climb up the standings and eventually finish second to Lionel Messi.

Well, we’re not going to get that in 2020 as organisers France Football recently revealed that it would not be fair to compare the game’s best talents when the world has been turned upside down and certain leagues, including France’s Ligue 1, have been brought to an abrupt end while others have continued.

On one hand, that’s fair enough. It makes a lot of sense and isn’t fair to players who haven’t had the same platform to show their talents. But from a selfish point of view, booooo.

And the 2020 Ballon d’Or gets cancelled. pic.twitter.com/80GsZmMMyN

— Fawad (@fawadRM) July 20, 2020

They cancelled Ballon D’or this year. I understand but that’s brazy.

— . (@easantejr) July 20, 2020

The Ballon D’Or 2020 has officially been cancelled. Lionel Messi will remain the holder for another year making him the longest to ever hold the title and the footballer with the most. pic.twitter.com/BPuh2DBq2j

— 19 premier league champions (@Papiikennyy7) July 20, 2020

The thing which has upset fans most is the fact that, for once, it probably wasn’t going to be Messi who took home the award.

Instead, Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski had been tipped to lift the famous prize. He netted 51 goals in just 43 games this season to fire his side to the Bundesliga title, and largely because of his form, Bayern are among the favourites to lift the Champions League trophy later this summer.

But no. Not this year.

Lewandowski hearing the Ballon d’or has been cancelled. pic.twitter.com/MKltjGYUFw

— CFC ARK (@ARKCFC) July 20, 2020

Lewandowski fans after reading that Ballon d’or is cancelled. pic.twitter.com/CqpznHm1JG

— Prajwal Gupta (@pg7064) July 20, 2020

Lewandowski when he wins the Chanpions League pic.twitter.com/RENKeeDU06

— mö (@ffzmo_) July 20, 2020

Robert Lewandowski is the best footballer in the world right now and there’s nothing France Football can do about it. ?

Here’s your award king. ? pic.twitter.com/sC2hErkWlx

— Madara (@Bayern_Graphics) July 20, 2020

Dive a little deeper and you’ll find conspiracy theory Twitter has been out in force.

The Ballon d’Or comes with a questionable reputation at the best of times, with the likes of Franck Ribéry, Wesley Sneijder and Andrés Iniesta all infamously missing out on the prize in the past, and there are some who feel as though something fishy could be going on this year.

Messi, who missed out on the league title with Barcelona, finished the season with 30 goals from 42 games, was expected to drop the prize to somebody else this year, but now that’s not going to happen.

Suspicious? These fans are.

They saw Messi wasn’t favourite to win ballon d’or and cancelled it

— OD (@utdepo) July 20, 2020

They robbed Kahn of a Ballon d’Or in 2001
Robbed Ribery of a Ballon d’Or in 2013
Robbed Lewandowski of a Ballon d’Or in 2020

It’s CLEARLY DONE ON PURPOSE!

— de ?⚪ (@BaldBayernFan) July 20, 2020

So because there is no way Messi can win ballon d’or this year, so the decided not to award it at all?

— Engineer ossyne?? (@ossyne10) July 20, 2020

Lewandowski, Kevin De Bruyne and Karim Benzema are the trio who got the most love on Twitter, but then there were a few…left-field suggestions.

Ballon d’or is cancelled, they knew what was coming. This man has been robbed. pic.twitter.com/h1p6MOrGj7

— ‘ (@3mrez) July 20, 2020

lee tomlin robbed of ballon d’or sigh

— ??????? (@ccfcevs) July 20, 2020

can’t believe Tammy’s been robbed of the Ballon D’or ?

— Dan Strange (@Strangeyyy) July 20, 2020

Next year pic.twitter.com/23iRAJBN2S

— Rami (@RamiArs11) July 20, 2020

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Liverpool will hope to return to winning ways when they host Chelsea on Wednesday night, after suffering a defeat at the hands of Arsenal on Wednesday night.

Sure, there’s nothing to worry about – as they’ve already won the Premier League – but their performance at the Emirates Stadium was uncharacteristically poor, and they’ll be determined to finish off their campaign strongly. And what better way to celebrate lifting the title at Anfield, than to beat Chelsea – who have been riding high in the league and FA Cup of late.

Here’s how the Reds should line up on Wednesday.

Alisson Becker (GK) – Having been at fault for Arsenal’s second goal, Alisson will be highly motivated to put in a strong performance at Anfield – where he’s kept two clean sheets in his last three home games.

Trent Alexander-Arnold (RB) – TAA is a strong part of the Reds’ attack, as shown by his goal in the reverse fixture – and a similar display would be key to their hopes of a win. Expect an exciting battle on the wing as he takes on American star Christian Pulisic.

Virgil van Dijk (CB) – Unusually below-par at the Emirates, van Dijk should bounce back with a composed showing against Chelsea. His aura helps to elevate his backline, which will be important against their in-form opponents.

Joe Gomez (CB) – A typically safe pair of hands, Gomez naturally compliments Ban Dijk’s skill-set very well and his pace will benefit Liverpool’s defence against a dynamic attack.

Andrew Robertson (LB) – The Scot picked up his 10th assist of the season against the Gunners and is only two behind his teammate TAA. Robertson’s forward runs will cause problems for the west London side.

Naby Keïta (CM) – The Guinean has never looked fitter than now and should get his chance on Wednesday. A dynamic presence in midfield, Keïta will be a vital link from defence to attack.

Fabinho (CM) – Arguably the most in-form defensive midfielder in the world, Fabinho is the glue that holds Liverpool’s midfield together. He’ll certainly have his hands full this week though, with many of the Blues’ midfielders tending to go forward at every opportunity

Georginio Wijnaldum (CM) – Led his team in ball distribution in north London, having made 96% of his passes. Wijnaldum’s energy and positioning will be important against a lively Chelsea team.

Mohamed Salah (RW) – The Egyptian scored a spectacular goal in last season’s fixture and would love nothing more than to contribute something similar this week against his former club.

Roberto Firmino (ST) – Having yet to score in his last 13 Premier League appearances, Firmino could certainly do with a goal on Wednesday. He can take confidence from his strike in the reverse fixture, which was the match-winner in their 2-1 win.

Sadio Mané (LW) – Mané recently surpassed 20 goals in all competitions for the third season in a row. The most in-form of Liverpool’s front trio, expect him to play a key role for the Reds at Anfield.

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We all like to think we know about football – but the question is, do we?

Well, if you fancy yourself as a bit of a Premier League trivia buff in particular, have a go at answering these 10 questions from the 2018/19 season and see if you really know what’s what.

Share with your mates, post your results on social media and use the hashtag #90minQuizzing to see how you stack up against the rest of the world.

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