The incredible levels of possession enjoyed by Pep Guardiola’s sides mean that Bayern Munich’s manager is sometimes characterised as a coach with a debilitating addiction to midfielders. The caricature is of a man who could spend hours agonising over the correct position of a plant in his living room, at first moving it next to the television as he strives for optimum interior design excellence, then nearer the door, before finally deciding to leave it in the middle of the room, along with the sofa, the sideboard, his home entertainment system and Philipp Lahm. Just think of all that space out wide.

The image does not quite ring true. Thierry Henry, a valued member of Barcelona’s treble winners in 2009, recently spoke about how Guardiola would make him hug the left touchline and even though there have been a handful of occasions in the past three years when Bayern Munich have fallen into the trap of sterile domination, it would be unfair to attribute that to a desire to clutter the middle.

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Guardiola’s first season in Germany was marred by Bayern’s collapse against Real Madrid in their Champions League semi-final. They were suckered in by Madrid’s counterattacking tactics in the first leg and when Guardiola was criticised for a lack of cutting edge after that tight 1-0 defeat at the Bernabéu, he lost his nerve in the second leg and his unfamiliar 4-2-4 formation was shredded on the break by the eventual champions. Guardiola was furious with himself for ceding control of midfield.

Yet weaknesses were also evident in the wide areas. Although Bayern played with two wingers, Franck Ribéry was worn out by the persistent back injury that forced him to miss the 2014 World Cup later that year and the Frenchman’s struggles meant that there was too much reliance on Arjen Robben. The problem was magnified when Ribéry and Robben both missed last season’s semi-final defeat by Barcelona and, although Bayern were not quite crying out for a complete overhaul after Guardiola discovered that even the finest tactical mind in the world is no match for a rampaging Lionel Messi, it was clear that an ageing attack required a little regeneration.

Enter Douglas Costa, whose impact during his short time at Bayern cannot be overstated. The Brazilian winger has been outstanding since leaving Shakhtar Donetsk for €30m (£22m) in the summer, lessening the dilemma of Robben and Ribéry’s ongoing injury problems and giving Guardiola’s attack a new dimension. Arsenal’s full-backs will have their hands full if Costa starts at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night.

Robben will not play against Arsenal because of a thigh injury and Ribéry has been out since injuring an ankle against Costa’s former side in March. Two great players are getting old. Robben is 31, Ribéry is 32. Costa is 25.

Without the duo who have been known as Robbery since 2009, Bayern struggled to pick the lock before Costa’s arrival. They did not have natural replacements for either player. Xherdan Shaqiri, now at Stoke City, failed to make the grade, while Thomas Müller and Mario Götze like to drift inside. Costa could be the final piece in Bayern’s jigsaw, the player who could make the difference for them at the highest level.

Mircea Lucescu, Costa’s manager at Shakhtar, said that Bayern were signing one of the best young players in the world. Bayern were not the only club who looked at Costa, who was linked with Chelsea in January and Manchester United in 2011, but Lucescu advised Guardiola to go for him. Costa was an immediate hit, impressing in Bayern’s defeat by Wolfsburg in the German Super Cup on his debut, and he has made five goals in the Bundesliga. “He deserves to be in the company of Robben and Ribéry,” Lucescu said.

Costa has mainly played in Ribéry’s position on the left, using his speed, skill and technique to drive past full-backs and set up chances for Robert Lewandowski, and he is also a threat when he cuts inside from the right and shoots with his left foot. He is not the finished article. Costa joined Shakhtar from Grêmio in 2010 and it was not always easy for him in Ukraine, not least when war broke out last year. There were also occasional challenges on the pitch. Costa was accused of lacking motivation in the 2012-13 season and he lost his place to Alex Teixeira.

However, he grew under the guidance of Lucescu and he will surely not stand still with Guardiola as his manager. Even now, Guardiola wants more. Last week he said that Costa and Kingsley Coman, the teenage winger on loan from Juventus, need to eat a lot of soup to become as good as Robben and Ribéry. Costa has scored only twice.

There was also a reprimand from Robben when Costa embarrassed Julian Brandt with an astonishing piece of skill in August, scooping the ball over the Bayer Leverkusen player’s head with his heels. Bayern were winning 3-0. “He needs to be careful,” Robben said. “Many tricks are nice, but belong in the circus.

“You should never forget that you also have to show some respect for the opponent when you are 3-0 up.”

Yet Guardiola knows that Costa is no clown. “He’s a Brazilian – Neymar is just like that,” Bayern’s manager said. “Douglas is a good player and an outstanding guy. He always respects the opponent.”

Guardiola’s football will never be sterile when Costa is in his side.