Euro 2012: Four partnerships that gelled together
Unlike in Cricket, partnerships between two players in football have always taken a backseat, so much that one needs to be reminded that partnerships do exist in football – between a winger and a fullback; between two center midfielders; between two strikers; between two center-backs. Yes, these do make the headlines once in a while but only for the wrong reasons. Part of the blame lies in itself. Partnership in football isn’t easily noticeable. Only a thorough examination of a match brings it into limelight.
However, the recently concluded Euros bore witness to some of the best partnerships in recent times. While some involved quick one-twos and overlapping runs, others exemplified complementing positional sense and use of long balls to beat the offside traps.
Let us list some of those:
Cristiano Ronaldo & Fabio Coentrao:
MADRID, SPAIN – APRIL 11: Cristiano Ronaldo (R) of Real Madrid celebrates with Fabio Coentrao after scoring.
The Ronaldo-Coentrao combination transcends the typical winger-fullback link-up. Ronaldo is a special player. Teams rely heavily on him to get the vital goals. So, it’s only justified that Ronaldo goes all out on the attack and cares least about his defensive duties. This makes it difficult for the full back, Coentrao has been a perfect foil to Cristiano Ronaldo. He has single-handedly negated opponents’ threat on his flank and yet made forays into the opposition half to link-up with Ronaldo in creating chances.
The pair first made their mark in the world cup 2010, which convinced Jose Mourinho to bring Coentrao to Barnebeu. At Madrid, the bond between the players has continued to grow stronger (albeit with little intervention from Madrid’s another left back Marcelo). The two are also close neighbors and friends outside football. May be that’s having a positive effect on their performance on the field.
Sami Khedira & Bastian Schweinsteiger
GDANSK, POLAND – JUNE 22: Sami Khedira of Germany celebrates scoring their second goal with Bastian Schweinsteiger .
Honestly speaking, I have been surprised by how these two center midfielders have interchanged their roles so effortlessly and linked their games so perfectly.
The duo was first paired during World cup 2010 after Michael Ballack was ruled out of the tournament because of an injury. Since then, the chemistry between these two center midfielders has become stronger with each player understanding the other’s game better.
“It [the partnership] has improved, we know each other even better now and don’t have to talk much, our interaction is even better, which is good for our performance as a team,” Khedira said in an Euro interview during the Euro.”
Since moving to Real Madrid, Khedira has matured as a player under the stewardship of Jose Mourinho. Similarly, Schweinsteiger has come a long way from the flashy player we first saw in 2004. German coach Joachim Low has particularly used these developments of players to good effect in this Euro. The normally defensive Khedira was given a free role to go forward when necessary while Schweinsteiger handled the defensive duties. Thus, enabling these midfielders to complement each other by alternating between attack and defence; the strategy which kept the opposition guessing.
Andrea Pirlo & Strikers
FLORENCE, ITALY – MAY 30: Mario Balotelli, Antonio Cassano and Andrea Pirlo of Italy during a training session at Coverciano on May 30, 2011 in Florence, Italy. (Photo by Claudio Villa/Getty Images)
Ok, agreed! This is not a duo. But, these one-way partnerships between a midfielder and a striker deserve a special mention. After being dumped out of World Cup in the first round, Italy has undergone a complete transformation under new coach Claudio Prandelli. He has foregone Italy’s usual, defensive Catenaccio system and instead adopted an attacking brand of football. This newly employed enterprising method of play is hinged on the playmaking skills of Andrea Pirlo to by-pass the area between center-half and final 3rd of the pitch.
Needless to say, this new strategy was a big success in this tournament thanks to the perfect synergy between Pirlo and Italian strikers. For, how many times did we see Pirlo deliver those pinpoint long diagonal balls to strikers and how many times did we see strikers beat the offside trap to latch onto those balls! No wonder, Italy had most shots at goal than anybody else in the tournament.
Andres Iniesta & Jordi Alba
DONETSK, UKRAINE – JUNE 27: Andres Iniesta and Jordi Alba of Spain celebrate during the UEFA EURO 2012 semi final match between Portugal and Spain at Donbass Arena on June 27, 2012 in Donetsk, Ukraine. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
Much like Frodo and Sam work together to save the fantasy world in LOTR, these two Spanish hobbits worked in tandem to provide the creative spark in an otherwise dull Spanish campaign in the initial stages of the tournament. Iniesta, just like he has done with Messi and Xavi, has formed a telepathic connection with his new partner. The good understanding between the two players was there for everyone to see in the pair’s eye-soothing one-twos and defence splitting through balls.
“Jordi Alba is my ideal partner. It’s easy to get along with him. He is a player that goes well, which is very fast and very well knows how to choose the times to climb. We understand perfectly on the pitch and that’s important.”
The perfect chemistry between the two players at the tournament has also erased any doubts Barcelona management had after signing Alba. Next season, every Barcelona follower will eagerly look forward to them put on similar combined acts at Camp Nou.