Whoa.. Messi isn't that tall. If anything, I'd say Xavi, Pedro, Iniesta, Messi, Adriano and Alves are all about the same height. And it is the Offical site you know...
But Height IS an issue for this team. It thrives on it. It's our miniature players that make us so dangerous to other teams - very fast with the ball and so hard to catch. It is natural that the smaller the player the better he is with the ball. And Barcelona play with a style that demands a a great ball control from their players. That is why Ibra ultimately failed at this club - he was too big and clumsy and made our attacks too slow, even if he had amazing skill with the ball. But because of the size of our players, we are vulnerable in set pieces, in the air and in physical tussles. That's why we usually have a hard time playing against an english opposition, who thrive on that kind of play. But luckily, Pep knows about the problem and
has acted to minimize it. That Zonal marking works phenomenally and I'm constantly amazed that teams don't score as much as they should against Barcelona from set pieces. Yes, they have been scoring often lately, but by far less as they could.
One thing I've hoped Pep would do to even more minimize the problem is to buy a fast and tall CB. The likes of Hummels, Thiago Silva and David Luiz jump in the mind. I'm not suggesting buying one of them but buying a player similar to them. They are out there but rare.
And btw, I found this picture
View attachment 3746
I wonder if our average height was highest in that day...
