Top 4 Premier League Partnerships – featuring Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester City, and Liverpool Duo.
The Premier League is going to be fiercely contested this season, perhaps more than ever. And the main contenders all have strengths and weaknesses in their lineups. But there are a few specific partnerships which really stand out and on which some of the clubs are built on. We look at those:
Ozil & Cazorla – Arsenal
These two are Arsenal’s, creative masters. Cazorla typically plays deeper these days alongside one of the defensive midfielders, and his job is simple – pass through the opposition midfielders press and get the ball to Ozil in space as quickly as possible and he then takes his time to work his magic. So far this season it has been increasingly obvious that they are perhaps Arsenal’s two most key players and they would struggle if either of them got injured. They have exchanged a huge 187 passes between them, highlighting the importance of this combination. If teams want to stop Arsenal, they need to focus on breaking this partnership up.
Vertonghen & Alderweireld – Tottenham
The two Tottenham center backs are so close that they are almost brothers. They know each other’s games inside out and it shows every time they steps onto the field. They have gone on to establish themselves as one of the best defensive partnerships in Europe, and the synergy is obvious. Firstly, they both broke through the ranks at Dutch club Ajax where they began their partnership playing 4 seasons together in central defence. They were then reunited last season when Pochettino made a move to buy Alderwiereld, partnering him with Vertonghen. They are also both Belgian and play in the national team. But what is most apparent is that their styles compliment each other perfectly. So far this season, Tottenham are yet to concede in the Premier League from open play. A large part of that remarkable stat is down to these two.