Back in the late 90s when Wenger’s teams featured players like Anelka and Overmares, Wenger’s strategy was focused on speed, speed and the counter attack. Generally, Arsenal would gain possession in the defensive third and would blaze down the field and score, similar to the goal Rooney scored against Arsenal last week. Our formation was a 4-4-2, (and has been till this year) a formation which Wenger preferred because there was some definition in each position but still allowed some freedom to interchange (the Total Football concept). Wenger also famously said the reason he used to always play the 4-4-2 was being it was (paraphasing) “the only formation where 80% of the players covered 80% of the space”.

What George Graham is referring to is the transition to the 4-3-3 system and the idea of ball retention and control. The change to the 4-3-3 is enormous because it put a huge strain on our wingbacks to charge forward to keep width (because the 2 wide forwards on Arsenal generally like to cut inside). Another reason why Wenger shifted to this formation was because our midfield shield to the defense was very weak. The combination of Denilson and Song now allows Fabregas to express himself more creatively going forward and he has responded with his greatest form in his career this year. Probably the best thing the 4-3-3 did was really develop Van Persie as one of the elite target man in world football. The dutchman is capable of holding the ball, creating goal scoring opportunities for his teammates and scoring himself.

The previous era teams had a direct attacking formation while Arsenal’s current squad has a more Barca-focuses passing and ball retention.

While I see many benefits with the 4-3-3 formation, I still think the 4-4-2 is the best formation both with respect to historical success and our current personnel. The 4-4-2 is a safer formation and is better at managing space, an aspect very important in the fast-paced EPL. Barca’s 4-3-3 relies on high pressure on defense and passing, and Arsenal have not shown they are capable of instilling the high pressure system needed to make this formation a success. This echos what Graham was saying. However, the 4-4-3 would have been more effective this year had Van Persie stayed healthy, because Arshavin is not capable enough to be a modern-day center forward, he is an ideal winger.

It’s in here and makes sense to me:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wenger-Making-Legend-Jasper-Rees/dp/1904095542/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1265410606&sr=1-8