Sicario2 they didn't lose the title in February, they lost it later on when it became mathematically impossible to win it... But I know what you're saying.
There were a bunch like Almunia, thinking back. Wenger, at least around that time, had a knack for making ordinary players look good. That was the benefit of peak 'little bit no handbrake'; he gave them a lot of freedom, encouraged them to get out there, take risks and go for it.
Obviously the lack of genuine quality told in the end but I also question sometimes whether other managers would have extracted anywhere near what Wenger did out of some of those players.
The paradox of that style of management, I guess.
