Atlanta United may have a new manager in Frank de Boer, but much of the focus will remain on the attack. The attention is justified; De Boer’s ability to manage a star-studded frontline that could feature Josef Martínez, Tito Villalba, Gonzálo “Pity” Martínez and Ezequiel Barco will be important as the club looks to repeat as MLS Cup champions. However, focusing squarely on the forwards misses perhaps the biggest change that De Boer could bring to Atlanta United in his first year in charge: a reassessment of the club’s midfield.



During his very successful time as Ajax manager, and even during his failed stint at Crystal Palace, De Boer valued the versatility of technical midfielders that could play possession-based soccer. Previous manager Tata Martino’s expectations were a bit more limited. He often referred to Darlington Nagbe and Eric Remedi as players with “buen pie”—translated literally in English to...