Not even about having a top, top quality DM, it's far simpler than that, It's about having a competent player who knows his role and has the discipline to stick to it. Take Coquelin for us as an example. He had it in his head for years that he was a box to box midfielder, Wenger knew he wasn't, but the player himself wouldn't accept it. It cost him his Arsenal career. It got so bad that as recently as October Coquelin couldn't get a regular game for Charlton. Our injury crisis forced us to recall him, he finally got it into his head to do what he was actually told and play in a diciplined manner and look what happens, He is the single biggest reason we turned over City, and after Cazorla, Ozil and Giroud he is first on the team sheet for me. Is he a top, top quality player? Not at all, but what he does, he does brilliantly.
So much about the DM position is about discipline. You give your attacking players so much more freedom to express themselves when they know they have someone protecting that back four properly. Now that he doesn't have to track back as much Ozil is FINALLY starting to become the player we bought and Cazorla is having the season of his life.
How much might Coutinho etc improve if you bought a Carvalho type this summer? Food for thought.
Logged