Arsenal assemble tallest defence in 30 years as Burnley’s giants await

Of full-back Tomiyasu adds physical presence to a notoriously soft back line for the sternest of aerial challenges

It took Takehiro Tomiyasu only 62 minutes to win over some of the Arsenal fans who might have been concerned that their deadline-day signing was little more than a desperate panic buy. Thrown into Mikel Arteta’s team after just two training sessions, Tomiyasu produced a debut full of energy, physicality and commitment against Norwich City last Saturday.

When he came off the pitch, after suffering from a hint of cramp following his travels during the international break, Tomiyasu was given a standing ovation by the home crowd and was even serenaded with a chant, of sorts. “Tomi, Tomi, Tomi,” they roared near the dugout.

To outside observers, it was a surprise that Tomiyasu was brought into the team so quickly following his £16million move from Bologna.

That is, at least, until one considers Arsenal’s destination today. Turf Moor and the giants of Burnley lie in wait, and Tomiyasu’s strength in the air will be needed in his first away game. If Norwich offered the first taste of English football for Tomiyasu, then Burnley will surely offer the first real test.

Although he has been signed primarily as a right-back, the Japan international has a centre-back’s build. He is 6ft 2in and physically robust, gaining a reputation in Italy for being uncompromising.

Nowhere in the Premier League will this power be more useful than at Burnley, where the crosses swirl towards the back post and the aerial threats are numerous. Such approaches have often proved successful against the notoriously soft Arsenal over the past decade, but Arteta’s new defensive spine looks far more physically capable than previous editions.

Based on the average height of Arsenal’s preferred back four (Tomiyasu, Ben White, Gabriel, Kieran Tierney), this is the club’s tallest first-choice back line in their Premier League history. This is largely the result of Tomiyasu’s arrival, with the 22-year-old adding a third physical defensive presence in a position where most teams usually select more diminutive full-backs.

It is also a reflection of the size of Gabriel, who is 6ft 3in and, by any measure, one of the Premier

League’s heavyweight defenders. As for White, he is taller than many realise: Arsenal’s £50million centre-back is 6ft 2in, although his physique is more lean than the bulky Gabriel.

None of this is to say that Arsenal will cope with the Burnley bombardment comfortably. Clearly, there is more to defending crosses than just being tall. Pablo Mari, Gabriel’s deputy for the opening games of the season, was bullied in the air at Brentford despite being a giant.

White has also faced criticism for his heading, which is perhaps a consequence of his previous responsibilities at Brighton: playing with Adam Webster and Lewis Dunk, White would usually take a covering role instead of challenging for the initial header. It was surely no coincidence that he looked more assured against Norwich, lining up next to Gabriel, than he did at Brentford on the opening day of the campaign.

“I fully trust him,” said Arteta of White. “He knows what he is going to face, not just him but every defender in the Premier League. You are going to be exposed and he needs to do what he is good at. The things that he can improve, he can improve them, but when you jump against [Chris] Wood 10 times, with a ball flying in the air, it is pretty difficult to win every duel. So it is about that duel and what happens around him as well.”

No team have won more of these aerial duels this season than Burnley, while only three sides have played more crosses. It evidently does not require hours of video analysis to realise where the threat will come from today. “We know how tough it is to go to Burnley,” Arteta said. “We know the game we can expect there and we will be prepared for that.”

Along with the arrival of Tomiyasu and the return to fitness of Gabriel (and Thomas Partey, another imposing figure), Arteta will have the option of Aaron Ramsdale in goal. He made his first Premier League start last weekend and is seen to be more commanding in his box, especially from crosses, than Bernd Leno. More defensive ballast, more reason to believe that Arsenal can cope with the threat.

With their added physical power at the back, Arsenal seem better prepared for a tussle than they have been for a long time. Whether that will be enough at Turf Moor is, of course, another matter.

Arsenal are not necessarily a better side because they are a bigger side but, on days like this, it certainly helps.

‘When you jump against Wood 10 times, with the ball in the air, it’s difficult to win every duel’