Best CB Pair In The World?

[beef-supreme]

Well, barca plays with one DM and two CMs, with 3 strikers. Spain plays with 2 DMs, one CM and 3 strikers. So the formation is similar, and tactics is same, attacking. I still believe its more or less the same

doesnt matter really, its about the CBs, they get even more help when they play in Spanish NT (due to the two DMs). I still think if pushed around the box neihter Pique nor Puyol can stand the pressure like rio/vidic and samuel/lucio can. So they would come third on my list, after those two pairs.

Spain plays with 1 striker, 2 if Torres is fit - no way 3.
They also play with two DMs.
Barca will play a 4-3-3 or a 4-3-1-2, whereas Spain play 4-2-3-1 or 4-2-2-2.

In any case Samuel and Lucio and Vidic and Rio are never exposed to counter-attacks like Puyol and Pique. Rio and Vidic are covered by 2 DMs or box-to-box midfielders in Carrick and Fletcher whereas Pique and Puyol only have 1 DM in front of them.

Two DMs aren't exactly making their work harder, is it now? Spain essentially play similar to Barcelona with a lot of ball possession so they don't get pounded as much. But two games with four goals conceded in each doesn't help their case either.

Remember though, these 3 partnerships are the best in the world and when we rate them above each other it is perhaps by a minor fraction, it is not like I think there is a huge difference between any.

But this is true. It is impossible to assess objectively which is the best pairing, because each is relative to their own system. However, I would argue that Pique still is one of the best if not the best defenders in the world, and would fit in in almost any system - he was also brilliant with Zaragoza, at a time when he was extremely raw and inexperienced. And Zaragoza don't play the possession game like Barca.

In any case, as you said there's no huge difference between any of the 3 pairings. In all fairness Pique probably has the edge above all because of his age; cause you get Rio who's always injured, and Puyol who's heading out - Vidic and Pique have to be the top 2. But since we're talking pairings, it is difficult to asses, and the only way to decide things is by considering the overall trophy haul. But then again, that depends so much on the other team members too!
Rio and Vidic and Lucio and Samuel both play in teams where they are much much less likely to be exposed to counter-attacks. At Barca Pique and Puyol have 1 DM in front of them, at United Carrick and Fletcher are 2 DMs or box-to-box mids in front of the back pairing.

 

[antonnn]

What's the point in making polls like this on a Barca forum? Even if the Barca choice wasn't the best they'd get voted anyway.

 

[Chainsaw]

What's the point in making polls like this on a Barca forum? Even if the Barca choice wasn't the best they'd get voted anyway.

It's just a poll like any other polls. It's not going to turn the world around or something. Take it easy.

 

[G.J]

Every partnership in defense is the product of the system they are in. Pique and Puyol are actually laughable when slightly exposed or when Barcelona don't take control of the match. So were Vidic and Rio as well as Samuel and Lucio. In fact the partnership that is most likely to be demolished easily when playing outside their system is Pique and Puyol because no way in hell will they be able to get away with their runs and early commitments on the few occasions they get attacked hastily.

The work made by Lucio and Samuel was tremendous, especially with less than energetic youth in midfield. They have been more physical than anyone else in that group but that is not something I'd hold against them because football outside Spain and in Europe is a lot more physical than what we are used to in La Liga.

I doubt that. Puyol-Pique under Mourinho's Inter would probably be one of the best partnership in history. They face a far greater challenge playing in that high-line. If anything it's Lucio and Samuel who were exposed badly at Bayern and Madrid respectivly.

 

[gingerless]

you don't wana talk stats with pique and puyol

 

[La Furia]

Dmytro Chygrynskiy and Martín Cáceres

 

[Raed]

I doubt that. Puyol-Pique under Mourinho's Inter would probably be one of the best partnership in history. They face a far greater challenge playing in that high-line. If anything it's Lucio and Samuel who were exposed badly at Bayern and Madrid respectivly.

First of all we are talking partnerships here not individual players.

Samuel looked like an idiot in Real Madrid and Lucio was always in doubt as to being one of the best in the world or not but Lucio's record for Brazil is tremendous and Samuel before Mourinho was also an incredible player, only made look much better under Mourinho.

Fact is, Barcelona this year conceded 9 goals, 3 more less than Real Madrid and that is when Madrid did not contribute to any of the goals in one of their worst matches. Recent stats suggest that Barcelona's ability to keep a hold of the ball allowed them to concede only 9 chances in the past god knows how many games, a mere 9! This suggests to me that when Barcelona do play a little off rhythm they have conceded a goal, and they conceded a goal easily. Say Xavi or Iniesta had a few more off days (notice: they are only getting better and better)

Their high line is not function of their ability or performance but performance is a function of the system. When Barcelona's system in midfield has slightly failed, Barcelona have gotten themselves in a mess and conceded.

Fact is, Pique and Puyol play a dangerous method of clearing the ball out, the pressure and sweep technique that they have done incredibly well with is the modern age alternative to the old defensive sweeper. All I am saying is that each of these three partnerships have done so well in their respective systems but the ones most prone to error are Puyol and Pique because their system is highly dependant on ball possession.

Ps. On a counter, it is never Puyol and Pique, Busquets always drop in between pushing Pique and Puyol out wider making it 3 in defense.

 

[zanela]

You all are wrong..
Its Van Buyten--Demichelis surely..

 

[jamrock]

while it may be true that the piquy,Puyol partnership may be the most prone to error, they are clearly the most sof the defensive partnerships

the high defensive line (the most difficult off all defensive setup) is a testament to their defensive skills and and understanding as a partnership, its the system that in prone to error and not the partnership itself, they are rarely beaten in one on one situations when caught on the counter, now if they conceded 9 goals when the clubs possession system if off form, again its a testament to how good they are as a partnership. as to only concede 9 goals, when in truth we were out of form for most of the beginning of the season, shows that even when the system is off they do the job.

now if you are going two argue that pique-puyol benefit "predominantly" from their system they play in, then you have to put forward the same argument for Samuel-Lucio,Rio-Vidic

They benefit allot more from a system where they set deep and having two D'meds protecting them at all times, mitigating greatly the chances of them being exposed to the counter.

for me to say which is the better defensive partnership, you would have to say which off these partnerships would excel most when taken out of their established systems and for me pique and puyol would assimilate the best out of these defensive partnerships when ask to play in a different defensive setup, as their current defensive system is the most proactive of all major teams across Europe, so it would be too difficult to adopt to the more reactive system of a inter or to a lesser extent Man utd.