5) Jamie Carragher and Daniel Agger
A surprise inclusion perhaps. and one that bumps some widely revered duos off this list, but the numbers don’t lie. When these two joined forces at the back for Liverpool, strikers found goals extremely hard to come by.
Across 8171 minutes of playing together, the pair were breached a mere 58 times. This equates to just 24.3 goals per season had they consistently paired up over a campaign.
Alas, a succession of injuries suffered by the giant Dane, plus the presence of Sami Hyypia, meant they were only deployed as a twosome on occasion.
When they were though, the qualified tattoo artist and the present-day Sky pundit were nigh-on impenetrable.
4) Steve Bruce and Gary Pallister
Similar in physique and attributes, and with barely an ounce of pace between them – though Pallister could surprise once he had built up some steam – this iconic pairing really shouldn’t have worked so well.
And what’s the betting they would struggle in today’s game, facing false nines and the like?
None of that matters however, not a jot. What does is that together the pair affectionately termed ‘Dolly and Daisy’ by Sir Alex Ferguson, bolstered Manchester United’s early assault on the Premier League, leading the Reds to three league titles in the competition’s first four years.
3) Tony Adams and Martin Keown
There is a lot to love about Arsene Wenger’s glory days at Highbury, not least that when he first arrived, intent on changing the whole culture of the club, he was wise enough to leave the back-five well alone.
An all-English affair of Seaman, Dixon, Winterburn, Adams and Bould provided a bedrock on which Arsenal’s cosmopolitan stylings could flourish and in due course Keown succeeded Bould, making their defence even more battle-hardened and zero-nonsense.
Like bouncers from hell this pair played pivotal roles in two separate double-winning seasons for the Gunners.
2) John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho
With Terry already well established as Chelsea’s inspirational captain and a solid-as-oak defender, the Blues saw their title aspirations go up a whole level in the summer of 2004 when Jose Mourinho returned to Porto to snag Carvalho.
The Portuguese international could ping a ball beautifully and played in carpet slippers when in possession. Out of it though he was combative and robust. Downright dirty when dirtiness was required.
It didn’t take long for this pairing to gel, with Chelsea conceding only 15 times all season on route to clinching their first Premier League crown.
It’s a record that still stands today and deserves to be given greater context. From August through to May, this formidable duo were beaten every 228 minutes.
Though slimly-priced in the football odds, backing clean sheets became the norm when these two were on the team-sheet.
1) Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic
Ever-opinionated on Manchester United’s current woes, Ferdinand knows what he is talking about, having been part of a set-up at Old Trafford that viewed second as failure.
In over a decade with the Reds, he helped win six league titles as well as the Champions League in 2008.
All-but-one of these trophies were secured alongside Vidic, a player who regularly tops the polls as the Premier League’s greatest ever centre-back.
What’s more, the pair complimented the other perfectly, Ferdinand possessing more poise on the ball, the Serb a rock in human form.
They were – and are – the gold standard of centre-back partnerships.
*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to Alamy*
