Top 10 Centre Back Partnerships

Centre Back partnerships have been part of the game for many years and maybe since the game's first inception.

In terms of what makes a good centre back partnership, first of all you need to be good defenders, secondly you need to know and understand each other, and thirdly you need to work well with your partner.

A lot of the great centre back partnerships have one player who can lead and who is probably the more influential of the two whilst the other just gets on with the job at hand without getting too much praise.

The best centre back partnership in the Premier League right now is probably William Saliba and Gabriel at Arsenal as they've been the key reason why Arsenal have been so solid defensively in recent seasons.

But those two are not on the list as they haven't been around for very long, but they could be in maybe a few years time if they keep up their solid partnership.

Now here is the list:

Tony Adams and Steve Bould

John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho

Jaap Stam and Ronny Johnsen

Kolo Toure and Sol Campbell

Virgil Van Dijk and Joel Matip

Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic

Steve Bruce and Gary Pallister

Wes Morgan and Robert Huth

Ruben Dias and John Stones

Vincent Kompany and Joleon Lescott

10. Wes Morgan and Robert Huth

Morgan and Huth had to be in 10th because they only had one good season together which was Leicester's title winning season in 2016.

They were brilliant as a pair that season as their partnership played a massive role in Leicester winning the title and you could say that their partnership began to take shape towards the end of the season before, when the Foxes pulled off the great escape to stay up.

They were both as influential as each other that season as they both protected their penalty area like their life depended on it by clearing the ball away at every opportunity and making crucial interventions.

Morgan was the leader as he was the club captain and Huth was the one who just got on with the job at hand. But both players got as much credit as each because they were equally as good as each other that season.

9. Vincent Kompany and Joleon Lescott

Kompany and Lescott were Man City's centre back pairing for two seasons including their title winning season in 2012.

They actually played together for five seasons overall, but it wasn't until their second season when they first played as a centre back pairing as Kompany was used in midfield during their first season together.

After those two seasons as a centre back pairing in 2011 and 2012, Lescott soon found himself further down the pecking order and out of favour due to other players being preferred instead of him.

Kompany was the leader and by far the more influential of the two mostly because of his leadership on the pitch, whereas Lescott was the one who just got on with the job without too many people noticing.

Their strong partnership at the back was key to City winning that first title in 2012.

8. Jaap Stam and Ronny Johnsen

A lot of Man United will want to put Stam and Johnsen higher up as they were their two main centre backs in their treble winning season in 1999.

But I've put them down in 8th because that was the only season they played together as a pair. They were at the club for four seasons together, but Johnsen struggled with injuries during the other three seasons whilst Stam went on to play a key role in United winning two more league titles.

They were a strong partnership throughout that treble winning season with Stam being the main man and more influential player and Johnsen being the one who just got on with the job without receiving too many plaudits.

Neither of them were seen as leaders, but they were both top defenders who worked well as a pairing.

7. Virgil Van Dijk and Joel Matip

Van Dijk and Matip played together for six and a half seasons at Liverpool and whenever they played together, the reds were always a stronger and better team defensively.

They were the centre back pairing for the majority of the season they first pushed City close and won the Champions League in 2019, and when they won the double in 2022.

They were both similar kind of players in that they were both good in the air. But Van Dijk was by far the more influential due to his leadership and calmness he brought to the team.

That was certainly the case during the season they first pushed City close in 2019 but in their double season in 2022, Matip was the better performing defender over the season as a whole as Van Dijk spent most of it building up his match fitness and sharpness after returning from that ACL injury he picked up the season before.

6. Ruben Dias and John Stones

Dias and Stones have just entered their sixth season together at Man City and whenever they have played together, City have been a solid team at the back.

They haven't always played together as Stones has at times operated in midfield, but his role as a hybrid midfielder has allowed him to drop back into defence to partner Dias.

They became a good partnership the moment they first played together mostly because of Dias' leadership on the pitch which helped Stones become a better defender.

Stones made a lot of mistakes when he first joined City and was lacking that leader alongside him to guide him and help him improve.

Dias became that leader that Stones needed and the longer they played together during that first season, the more Stones grew and improved as a defender.

5. Steve Bruce and Gary Pallister

Bruce and Pallister were Man United's centre back pairing during the early years of the Premier League and together they won three Premier League titles.

Both players were old fashioned defenders in that were both good in the air, were top tacklers and were strong. But they did also have other parts to their games with Bruce being a good passer and Pallister be someone who liked to carry the ball up the pitch.

Bruce was the leader of the two as he was United captain, but Pallister was maybe the one who got more recognition as he was named in the team of the year three times whilst they were playing together.

Their strong partnership was key to the titles Man United won in the early Premier League era through Bruce's leadership and Pallister's defensive abilities.

4. Tony Adams and Steve Bould

Arsenal had such a strong defence during the early years of the Premier League and it was because of the strong partnership of Adams and Bould.

They were both strong, physical, loved to tackle, great in the air and brilliant readers of the game. They were both old fashioned central defenders.

Adams was the leader and the more influential defenders because of his leadership and abilities as a defender, and Bould was the one who just got on with the job.

Their partnership was key to Arsenal having a strong defence during the early years of Arsene Wenger's reign and especially during their title winning season in 1998.

3. Kolo Toure and Sol Campbell

Toure and Campbell just pip Adams and Bould simply because they were Arsenal's two centre backs during the Invincibles season in 2004.

They had four seasons together at Arsenal and were a solid partnership throughout their time together. Especially during the Invincibles season.

Campbell was the leader and the more influential defender because of his leadership and defensive abilities, whilst Toure was the one who quietly gone with his job whilst his partner was getting all the plaudits.

This centre back partnership was the last good one Arsenal had until Saliba and Gabriel came along.

2. John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho

Terry and Carvalho had such a strong partnership throughout their six seasons at Chelsea as they won three Premier League titles together.

Their partnership was crucial in those back-to-back title winning campaigns under Jose Mourinho in 2005 and 2006 respectively, and especially in 2005 when Chelsea kept 25 clean sheets and conceded just 15 goals.

Terry was the leader and the more influential defender mostly because of his leadership and his abilities as a defender. But Carvalho was almost as influential due to his reading of the game and how good he was in the air.

1. Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic

Ferdinand and Vidic had to be my no.1 not just because of how good they were as a pair, but because of what they won together.

They won five Premier League titles during their time together at Man United and their strong partnership was an integral part of all of them.

The great centre back partnerships do usually have one player who can lead and be the more influential player, but these two were as influential as each other as they were both leaders and top class defenders.

But if I had to pick one player who was more influential, it would be Vidic as he made United a stronger team defensively and Ferdinand a better defender.

Ferdinand was a good defender before at Leeds, West Ham and in his first few seasons at United, but his game grew a lot when he played alongside Vidic.

MY TOP 10:

1. Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic

2. John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho

3. Kolo Toure and Sol Campbell

4. Tony Adams and Steve Bould

5. Steve Bruce and Gary Pallister

6. Ruben Dias and John Stones

7. Virgil Van Dijk and Joel Matip

8. Jaap Stam and Ronny Johnsen

9. Vincent Kompany and Joleon Lescott

10. Wes Morgan and Robert Huth