Alex Song must redefine his position

Alex Song, the back four’s babysitter, is having a good season. But so he should. From 1 to 11, he has - by far - the easiest position.

In the Sky Sports 21st Century, every player must cover two positions. Full-backs must be wingers; wingers must be full-backs; centre-midfielders must be forwards; and forwards must be defenders.

Except, of course, the holding midfielder. He’s the lucky one; the spoilt son with his own position, his own rules, and his own cosy comfort zone.

He’s not an attacker. We know that. He doesn’t make forward runs, or make forward passes. The other midfielders do that job.

And, really, he’s not a defender. He’s an extra, a bonus, not the last line.

The holding midfielder doesn’t worry about holding the line, playing the offside trap. He doesn’t worry about marking the centre-forward, getting elbows in his gullet. And he doesn’t worry about nippy strikers, one-on-one, steaming past.

The holding midfielder, in short, has few responsibilities. He’s a full-back that doesn’t have to attack; or a winger that doesn’t have to defend. He’s pampered.

Song, in fairness, is making the easy position look easy. He wins headers, and - something not seen last season - he wins tackles. He also makes interceptions, though often, the ball finds him, not the other way round.

But, now he’s cracked the position, Song must redefine it. Like the Primary School chess champion, he must test himself at a higher level. He must leave the comfort zone.

Song, for starters, should score five goals a season. He can, stepping from the centre circle, be the extra man in Arsenal’s attacks; the man the opposition don’t mention in their team talks.

This season, he’s had - at least - ten chances to shoot from 25 yards, which he’s declined. Why? His shooting is far, far better than Theo Walcott’s or Emmanuel Eboue’s, who shoot more often, and from worse angles.

As Javier Mascherano showed for Liverpool against Everton, shooting from distance creates undeserved goals. Arsenal, surely, score fewer deflections than any Premier League team.

But that isn’t the only way Song can score goals. As he showed at Wigan last season - when he scored - and Sunderland this season, when he didn’t, Song has skill. He can drop his shoulder and beat a man; he can burst past people defenders with pace, or one-twos.

He’s shown he’s a holding midfielder. Now Song must show he’s a midfielder. He should stop holding, start pressing, and run 25 per cent more in each game.

Song can become a deep-lying Steven Gerrard. If he does, Arsenal could revert to 4-4-2, with Andrei Arshavin and Robin van Persie up front. And that, you imagine, would be worth watching.