Size matters (sometimes). When I was facing a team, I’d choose a centre back to target, maybe after looking down at him in the tunnel.
Wimbledon’s Chris Perry, although he had a good spring, was 5ft 9in. I was 6ft 4in and scored against them in October 1997. There was a long ball, I beat Perry in the air, leaving him on his backside, and scored to secure a 1-0 win for Blackburn. Job done.
It’s natural, and that’s why opponents have been targeting Manchester United’s 5ft 9in centre back Lisandro Martinez.