Do Arsenal boast the Premier League's best centre-back partnership?

For any major team in football, the need for a solid centre-back partnership is vital. Gerard Pique and Carles Puyol was perhaps the best in Spain’s history, while the duo of Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand, and John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho, for Manchester United and Chelsea, respectively, helped both teams to Premier League glory. There are countless others in the history of the game and there will be more, but a solid partnership between the two central defenders provides the platform for success. 

The current Premier League season alone accounts for three notable centre-back partnerships, with Virgil van Dijk and Jose Fonte forming a solid relationship at the heart of the Southampton defence. Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld fit together superbly for Spurs, who have conceded just 38 goals in the last 45 Premier League fixtures, fewer than any other team. Some, however, consider the current centre-back partnership of Laurent Koscielny and Shkodran Mustafi to be the best in England’s top tier. 

The Arsenal pair have played a vital role in the Gunners’ impressive start to the season, with Arsene Wenger’s side currently just two points off top spot and on the longest current winning run (5 games) in Europe’s top five leagues. After injuries to Per Mertesacker and Gabriel Paulista were confirmed, Arsenal needed to act in order to bolster their defence. Rob Holding may have performed above expectations following his arrival from Bolton, but he was perhaps a temporary solution to a permanent problem for Arsenal. 

While it ultimately took a minor injury crisis for Wenger to bolster his backline, the acquisition of Mustafi will undoubtedly increase Arsenal’s chances of domestic and continental success. The German defender and Koscielny have built up an instant rapport, meaning Arsenal are yet to concede a Premier League goal from open play in the four games the duo have started together this term. Indeed, it’s no small shock that Mustafi (7.75) ranks second for Arsenal’s top rated players and Koscielny (7.65) third. 

As respected as the centre-back partnership of Mertesacker and Koscielny was, the pairing was not without its flaws. The former’s lack of speed meant Arsenal were suspect at the back. Opponents were able to get in behind Mertesacker and as good a defender as Koscielny may be, he was not always able to make up the ground in order to deny the opposition from testing the goalkeeper. Mustafi, in that regard, was seen as an improvement on his compatriot at the heart of the defence. 

Now, Arsenal have a centre-back partnership that complements one another ideally and allows for Wenger to maintain a level of dominance and possession. Only two teams are averaging more possession than the Gunners (55.9%) in the Premier League this season, with Mustafi and Koscielny both able to play the ball out from the back in order to instigate attacks from deep. Indeed, Koscielny has the third best pass success rate (90.1%) of all Arsenal players to start at least one top-flight match this season, while Mustafi (68.5) ranks second only to Santi Cazorla (71.9) for passes per game of all players currently plying their trade for the north London side. 

The need for ball-playing defenders remains high among Europe’s elite teams and while it’s a quality Mertesacker excelled in, Mustafi’s pace now puts him above his compatriot in the Arsenal pecking order. The summer arrival’s ability to rapidly rob the opposition of possession means he is averaging more tackles per game (4) than any other Arsenal player, while only Nacho Monreal (3.6) is making more interceptions per game (3.3). 

As such, only Curtis Davies (7.8) is averaging more tackles and interceptions per game than Mustafi (7.3) of all centre-backs in the Premier League this season, highlighting the German’s proactiveness in the backline. Conversely, Mertesacker averaged just 2.6 tackles and interceptions per league game last season, with Koscielny often required to carry out the more physically demanding duties in defence, noted in that his average of 5.2 tackles and interceptions per game last term have dropped to 3.9 this season. 

The duo are a good fit and it shows in that in the four-game period Mustafi and Koscielny have started together, only fierce rivals Tottenham (1) have conceded fewer league goals than Arsenal (2). Football fans will argue as to the strongest centre-back partnership in England’s top tier, but there is no denying that the Mustafi-Koscielny pairing ranks among the best in the country. Their respective WhoScored ratings place them in the top 15 Premier League players this term, with the duo two of four centre-backs to rank in the ratings list, the others being Daley Blind (7.69) and Curtis Davies (7.66). 

Mustafi and Koscielny are as strong a foundation as Arsenal can hope to build on and if the club do enjoy success this season, it will be as a result of the duo and their already impressive understanding.

Do you think Arsenal have the best centre-back partnership in the Premier League? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below