He could give them the much needed cover for defense if used properly, he's definetly better than Romulo or Migliaccio when it comes to covering large grounds behind Aquilani and Borja Valero, but I'm not sure if he's capable of funtioning properly in a three man midfield, always played better in a two man midfield, whether it was 442 with C.Zanetti or 4231 with Melo .