Arsenal hero Lee Dixon is a big fan of the current central defensive partnership of Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker.

Dixon, one of the original back four meticulously honed and drilled by George Graham, sees similarities with two of his former cohorts, Tony Adams and Martin Keown.

"Mertesacker has got a stature about him that is reminiscent of Tony," Dixon told the London Evening Standard. "He has that big, colossus frame. I don't want to compare them too much but now he has grown into the club, he has a genuine desire to do well for Arsenal like Tony did.

"I was one of the critical ones when he first came in but he has worked at it. He needed the right character around him and you could compare Koscielny to Martin Keown given his same dogged determination to do his job. Both of them would go through a brick wall for you. Mertesacker and Koscielny complement each other well and in that sense are a perfect combination.

"Koscielny has learned the art of positioning as opposed to being a dog chasing a bone and trying to win the ball all over the pitch. His pace helps Mertesacker. You can hang your hat on the pair of them. They are the same personnel that have played together for a while which is a key thing.

"You have to be aware of your own individual positions but also make a lot of positional changes because of the people around you. The importance of partnerships and unity is often underestimated by people outside the game. It is hard to achieve but once a defensive unit is there, the game becomes a lot easier."