We saw this with Javier Mascherano at Barcelona and are now seeing it with the likes of Lahm and Martinez. It's also why the Spanish coach has always opted for midfielders in his back line whenever he can. Boateng has these attributes, which is why he has suddenly transformed from an average defender into one of Europe's best under Guardiola over the past 18 months. Similarly, Guardiola also demands the utmost ability to play with the ball on the ground and the necessity to pass at lightning speeds with true accuracy. In most teams across Europe Dante would fit in excellently, playing in a relatively deep defensive line and keeping pace with play, but at Bayern he's expected to stand on the halfway line and be prepared to run down any slippery forwards who manage to overcome the Bayern offside trap. Pace has always been a troubling aspect of the central defender's game -one that didn't cause too much trouble under Heynckes' counter-attacking side that often played with a relatively deep line -and has been truly exposed under Guardiola's relentless desire to push his side further and further up the park. Fortunately, the characteristics of the Bundesliga and Bayern's Champions League opponents this season have meant that such a lightweight defence hasn't exactly been exploited, but that doesn't pave over the simple fact that this manager simply doesn't trust Dante within this system.