Tom Oldfield

 

A crucial aspect of building a winning team is finding successful partnerships throughout the side. Two centre backs with a strong understanding, a pair of midfielders who complement each other well and a strike force that instinctively knows each other’s movements. Looking back through history, trophy-winning teams have always relied on partnerships in key areas.

In the first of several articles on the topic, insidefutbol.com analyses two of the most impressive modern day pairings – Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand at Manchester United and Andrea Pirlo and Gennaro Gattuso at AC Milan.

 

Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United):

While Cristiano Ronaldo, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs took most of the plaudits after Manchester United’s title triumph in 2006-07, the team’s defence was equally deserving of praise. One of the key factors in United’s defensive improvements was the partnership between Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic at the heart of the back four. The pair developed a great understanding and stood firm for the club in many crucial games as the club threatened to repeat the heroics of the 1999 Treble.

Not since the days of Steve Bruce and Gary Pallister have Manchester United possessed such a brilliant defensive duo. Ferdinand brings pace and poise to the partnership as well as the capability to carry the ball forward and begin attacks. He is a “footballing centre half” who makes the game look very simple when he is on song. Ferdinand experiences at West Ham and Leeds have made him a stronger person and the missed drugs test scandal has brought new found maturity to his play.

Vidic is the perfect foil for Ferdinand. He is totally dominant in the air and gets his head to an incredible number of crosses to clear the danger. The big Serbian is not afraid to throw himself into tackles and has an imposing presence, similar to that of Chelsea and England skipper John Terry. Vidic also pops up in the opposition penalty area with useful goals as he attacks the ball with gusto. This season he scored with an unstoppable header away to Everton to snatch a 1-0 win at Goodison Park. Such contributions are a terrific bonus for United boss Sir Alex Ferguson.

The solid platform at the back has spread confidence throughout the side, giving the forwards greater licence to attack. Furthermore, it means that often a 1-0 lead is often enough for United to clinch the three points. This has been especially true during the 2007-08 campaign as the Reds have put together a string of 1-0 victories. The foundation for these wins has certainly been the platform provided by the Ferdinand-Vidic axis.

As Alan Hansen explained in his BBC Sport column: ‘When they [United] had a blip of sorts earlier in the season, Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic were superb, along with keeper Edwin van der Sar. Vidic even chipped in with the sort of crucial late winner at Everton that could be vital when the points are added up at the end of the campaign.’

Ferdinand seems to have been around for ever yet he has recently turned 29. Vidic is three years his junior. This does not bode well for Premiership strikers! Make no mistake, if United are to hold off Arsenal and Chelsea and retain the Premiership title this season, the Ferdinand-Vidic partnership will once again deserve its fair share of the plaudits.

 

Andrea Pirlo and Gennaro Gattuso (AC Milan):

Meanwhile, in Italy, Andrea Pirlo and Gennaro Gattuso have developed a formidable midfield partnership that has led to great success for club and country. The duo are an intriguing mix. Pirlo is from Brescia in the north and enjoyed a wealthier background. Gattuso is from Calabria in the deep south and had a humbler upbringing. As result, their attitudes to life are very different, too, with Pirlo providing a calmer, more reserved style – the opposite of Gattuso’s heart on the sleeve approach.

Each seems to personify their origins in the way that they play. Pirlo oozes class with silky touches and a majestic array of passes. He makes the game look so easy with the effortless manner in which he glides around the pitch, almost strutting at times. Gattuso, though, is quite the opposite. His game is more about passion and commitment than technical genius. His energy and ball-winning skills make him a nightmare to face and the protection that he provides for the AC Milan back four is vital.

As a pairing, Pirlo and Gattuso complement each other superbly. Where Pirlo struggles to compete physically against taller, more muscular midfielders, Gattuso is on hand with crunching tackles and a phenomenal work-rate. Where Gattuso lacks the range of passing, Pirlo is there to provide an option and deliver the killer ball himself. As Gattuso himself admitted in an interview with Champions magazine: ‘Andrea certainly has the capability to see things that I just don’t see. Sure, we both have two eyes. But let’s say that I have 40% vision of the game, Andrea has 80%. Sometimes Andrea, with those feet that he has, avoids you having to make a move.’ The two players have certainly learned a lot from playing together. Pirlo has toughened up his game, taking a leaf from Gattuso’s book, and has helped his midfield partner improve his touch and passing.

Nobody can argue about the quality of the midfield partnership. The duo were in the Milan side that won the Champions League in 2003, reached the final in 2005 and then lifted the trophy again in 2007. Many opposition midfielders felt the force of Gattuso’s power along the way and plenty succumbed to Pirlo’s mastery of dead-ball situations. The 2003/04 Serie A title was also achieved with the two players to the fore.

Their biggest success, though, as a midfield pairing came in Germany in the summer of 2006 when they led Italy to World Cup glory. Along with captain Fabio Cannavaro, Pirlo and Gattuso were the team’s top performers. Gattuso produced a tireless display in the second round against Australia when Italy were down to ten men, Pirlo was arguably man of the match in the final against France and both players were strong candidates for that award in the semi-final against the hosts, Germany. It was an incredible summer for the two Milan stars.

Off the field, they are friends but not close friends. Both are now fathers and spend a lot of time with their families. On the field, thought, they are the perfect couple and feel proud of the understanding that they have forged. With the duo only in their late twenties and with many of the AC Milan players entering their final years in the first team, the Pirlo-Gattuso partnership will undoubtedly be the building block for the new era at the club.