We take a look at 3 of the greatest attacking partnerships ever to grace the Premier League and what puts them ahead of the rest.
ALAN SHEARER AND CHRIS SUTTON
The 1994/1995 season is just a distant memory to many football fans, but try telling that to Blackburn Rovers supporters and they will be quick to tell you how great that year was. This particular season will be etched in their memory for the rest of their lives. Here’s why.
In the summer of 1994, a young Chris Sutton became the most expensive player in English football, after his transfer from Norwich City cost Blackburn a hefty £5m. It caused great excitement around Eawood Park, as the striker would be teaming up with the ‘Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year’ at the time, Alan Shearer.
The season previous, Shearer had played 40 games and scored an impressive 31 goals, leading Blackburn to finish second in the league behind Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United.
The pair struck up almost an immediate partnership, to the delight of then manager Kenny Daglish, and went on to carry Blackburn to Premier League glory, going one step further than the season before. ‘The SAS’ (Shearer and Sutton) scored a remarkable 46 goals between them (Shearer 31 and Sutton 15) in the season that saw the Lancashire club snatch the league title from the hands of Manchester United. Revenge!
Everything went right for the pair that season. Every attempted flick found it’s target, every run that was made was picked out, and every shot that was struck seemed to find the net. The way they knew where each other were was almost like magic, and the Rovers’ fans still have day-dreams about them to this day.
The following season, Shearer finished the season with 31 goals in just 35 games, although Blackburn eventually finished 7th in the league. However things didn’t go to plan for Sutton. A loss of form mixed with a number of niggly injuries saw him play only 13 games that season and failing to find the net on every occasion.
As Shearer went to make a name for himself at his home club Newcastle United, Sutton would again find his form and finish Premier League top scorer the year after.
Although the partnership only really lasted for one season, it was enough to leave a lasting memory for a lot of football fans around the country.
DWIGHT YORKE AND ANDY COLE
I have never in my life seen such telepathy, than when I watched Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke playing together as Manchester United’s front two.
Andy Cole was signed from Newcastle by Alex Ferguson in the January transfer window of 1995 for £6m + winger Keith Gillespie, after Cole’s incredible 68 goals in 84 appearances for the geordies. His form carried on as he scored 12 goals in 18 league games for United and £6m seemed well spent, until Cole’s first full season at Old Trafford. It started off slowly, with the goal-gobbler only getting on the score-sheet 14 times during the season. However, Cole has always had a knack of grabbing goals in important situations and he did just that as he bagged the winner in the FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea. United went on to win the cup.
‘King’ Eric Cantona, as he is known at Old Trafford, decided to call it a day and try to carve out a career in acting (What was he thinking?!). United fans were devastated.
Up stepped Dwight Yorke.
When Fergie splashed out almost £13m for the services of the Villa player, his judgement came into question from both supporters and the national papers but the long serving Manchester United manager would, again, be proved correct in his decisions. The winger-turned-forward arrived with an upturned collar, a laid-back attitude grin as big as his transfer fee and would leave with a place in every Manchester United fans heart forever.
Yorke and Cole would soon make a name for themselves as one of the most feared strike pairings in Europe. With the footballing brain of the former, and the pace and crisp finishing of the latter, mixed with a unique personal friendship, the pair set The Premier League alight.
In Yorke’s first season, he finished joint top scorer in the league with 18 goals. In all competitions that campaign, Cole and Yorke hammered home a combined total of a whopping 53 goals and helped Manchester United win the treble (Premier League, FA Cup & Champions League). They tortured some of Europe’s best defences on their way to Champions League success including the likes of Barcelona, Inter Milan and Juventus, while Cole scored United’s winner against Tottenham on the final day of the season to see them lift the Premier League trophy.
They continued their partnership the following season with Cole scoring 19 in 28 and Yorke scoring 22 in all competitions and leading Man Utd to yet another league title. A golden period in United’s history and these two will be remembered forever as being a part of that.
Later in their careers, the pair would reunite, this time for Blackburn rovers.we never saw the magic that made them Old Trafford heroes but looking at what they achieved, that was never very likely!
Cole is currently 2nd in the all time Premier League goal scoring list.
EIDUR GUDJOHNSEN AND JIMMY FLOYD HASSELBAINK
‘Fire and Ice’ was a nickname given to these incredible players during their time at Stamford Bridge, whilst playing for Chelsea. This was in reference to Hasselbaink’s fiery attitude on the field, in comparison to Gudjohnsen’s cool, calm and collected personality. They couldn’t have been more different both on and off the pitch, but maybe this is what led to them having such a successful rapport with one another. After all, they say opposites attract, don’t they?
Both players arrived at Chelsea in the same week, Gudjohnsen for £4m; Hasselbaink for £15m.
During the 2001/02 season, the deadly pairing netted 50 goals between them, with Gudjohnsen getting 23 and helping his team mate Hasselbaink reach his final total of 27.
There was something intriguing about their contrasted relationship. Hasselbaink was a cocky player, gloating a broad frame and muscular legs, the power he could generate would frighten any keeper who dared to attempt to keep out one of his strikes. He was a defenders’ nightmare, the strength to put you on your backside and the movement to leave you dazed, the Dutch star is still 10th in the All Time Premier League Goal Scorers on 127 goals.
Flip the coin and you have Eidur Gudjohnsen. A nimble link-up player that could change a game with a single pass, a deft creator of goals yet a clinical scorer himself, Gudjohnsen scored 85 in 186 in his time with the Blues.
Gudjohnsen went on to play for Barcelona but returned to the Premier League with spells at Spurs, Stoke and Fulham. He is currently unattached.
Hasselbaink is now a first team coach at Championship side Nottingham Forest after ending his playing career at Cardiff City.
Fans dream of having a strike partnership that know each other inside out, that make playing with one another look easy, and most importantly to score a ton of goals to lead them to glory.
I have listed just 6 of the great pairings to play in the Premier League, but there have been plenty worthy of a mention, and there looks to be plenty more about to start something special.
Which partnership do you think will get most goals this season? Comment below.