Top 8 strike partnerships in Premier League history
The nature of football has changed a lot over the past two decades, and so have the tactics. Those familiar with the tactical aspects of the game will recall that the 4-4-2 formation was the once the most common formation in football.Over the years, the 4-4-2 has given way to formations that have room for just one striker. Almost no team today sets out to play with two strikers, and it seemed that the era of famous strike partnerships was done.However, Leicester City have brought back the 4-4-2 formation this season and it has been so successful that they presently find themselves two points clear at the top of Premier League table.This presents the perfect opportunity to take a look at some of the best strike partnerships that have enthralled us all in the Premier League.Just which of them was the best of them all? It’s important to note that we are only looking at partnerships in which both the players were strikers. So partnerships like Rooney and Ronaldo, where one of the players was a winger, or Silva and Aguero, where one of the players is a central midfielder, are ineligible.
#8 Quinn and Phillips (Sunderland)
Niall Quinn and Kevin Phillips were a partnership that complimented each other beautifully on the field and posed an ever-present dual threat to any defence in the league. Quinn with his ability to win headers and dominate in the air, and Phillips with his pace and direct running, together formed one of the most complete partnerships the Premier League has ever seen.
This partnership was so successful that every club wanted to replicate the formula, but none could.
Quinn and Phillips scored 159 goals from 171 appearances for Sunderland. In the 1999/2000 season Phillips won the Premier League Golden Boot as well as the European Golden Shoe, scoring 30 goals. Quinn chipped in with 14 that season.