A genuine mutual support for each other is the key to the success of Liverpool's central defensive group, explained Virgil van Dijk.
Jürgen Klopp had the luxury of selecting two from Joe Gomez, Ibrahima Konate, Joel Matip and Van Dijk at the heart of his backline for the majority of last season as the Reds won two trophies and finished runners-up in two more.
Each of the quartet are close-knit friends with the others off the pitch, a factor that proves hugely beneficial to the team when they step onto the field in tandem.
As does their understanding approach to the competition of tussling for a pair of positions in the XI, with a unified focus on high performance their top priority.