The case for the defence – The reason United haven’t dominated this season

The foundation of any title winning team is built firmly on the shoulders of a solid centre back pairing. From the early days of Sir Alex Ferguson's reign it was evident that he also shared this philosophy.

Steve Bruce and Gary Pallister were the foundation for much of our early Premier League successes, while Ronny Johnsen and Jaap Stam starred in the famous treble winning side of 1999.