Frank Rijkaard has used no fewer than six different tandems in the middle of his defence this season, and despite the changes, the results have always been good.

Due to injuries and suspensions, Frank Rijkaard has not used a settled pairing in the centre of defence this season, with nine official games seeing continual changes in that part of the pitch.

Márquez-Milito, the most used

The most common partnership employed has involved Márquez and Milito, who played against Lyon, Sevilla and Zaragoza, three games in which two goals in total were conceded.

Another combination to get more than one go was that of Milito and Thuram, who started against Osasuna and Levante.

One-time options

Duets between Thuram-Oleguer (Racing), Oleguer-Márquez (Athletic Club), Thuram-Márquez (Stuttgart) and Milito-Puyol (Atlético Madrid) have all been employed once only. Barça only let in one goal in all four matches, which all goes to show that it doesn’t matter who fills the central defender roles in this Barça team, you are always guaranteed rock solid performances.

Injuries and suspensions

Much of this defensive merry-go-round has been the result of tactical changes, but others have been forced. Márquez saw red against Bilbao, and Puyol and Márquez have both spent time out through injury.

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