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Can David Villa play in defensive midfield? And does he understand the concept of a first half? If so, Arsene Wenger should break the bank before the transfer window closes to solve the two biggest problems currently threatening to derail Arsenal's Champions League push.
The last time the Gunners secured a half-time lead was 11 games ago in the 5-2 victory over Reading. Since that walkover at the Madejski they have repeatedly failed to turn up in the first 45 minutes with a dire start against Chelsea the nadir in a run of rudderless opening periods.
It's possible that this worry and concerns over a lack of backbone are inextricably linked. Following Mikel Arteta's injury Arsenal have lacked a midfield lynchpin, with Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey providing the shield in front of the back four against Liverpool on Wednesday. This pairing only served to encourage the visitors' counter-attacking flow and as Arsenal gradually eased into their passing rhythm, their opponents could already have been out of sight.
Wilshere, it must be said, is an excellent tackler and on two occasions in the second half his tidy challenges immediately set Arsenal on the front foot. But his role is primarily to instigate attacks from deep, which left Ramsey to act as the midfield anchor against the intelligent movement of Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge.
The thought of Ramsey - who is now an established jack of all trades - acting as some sort of destroyer is quite preposterous and on almost every rapid Liverpool counter he could be seen desperately sprinting back towards his own goal - a tell-tale sign of a player who doesn't understand the requirements of his position.
It was often the same with Alex Song last season, as he marauded forward to provide Hollywood balls to Robin van Persie but forgot his responsibilities in defence. It's been said many times before that selling Song wasn't necessarily a mistake on Wenger's part, but failing to replace him with a more suitable alternative has been crucial in Arsenal's flirtation with a top four exit.
The real concern for Gooners is that Arsenal's heavy petting with the Europa League places could move from the sofa to the bedroom over the coming weeks unless the manager addresses the evident weaknesses in the team in the next 24 hours. The logic behind a move for Villa has been questioned owing to the forward's age, fee and wage demands, but someone needs to stick their hand in the air and point out that the priority should be a new holding midfielder.
It's likely that Wenger will choose to plough on with the players he has available, ignoring that Sebastian Squillaci has started more matches than Abou Diaby over the last three years and that Francis Coquelin appears to be equally brittle.
The finger of blame for a poor start on Wednesday will be pointed at a defence that has kept only two clean sheets in the last 12 matches and conceded 18 goals in that time, but the manager's failure to protect the back four has been a crucial factor in the Gunners becoming increasingly porous.
Arteta's forthcoming return will provide some cheer, but Arsenal need a warrior in the battle for fourth. Wenger used to sign players to fulfil specific roles in the team, whereas these days he's relying on the likes of Ramsey to plug the gaps.
Matt Stanger - he's on the Twitter.
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