Arsene Wenger has explained his reasons for switching Arsenal's formation at Middlesbrough on Monday night.
The Frenchman went with a three-man defence for the first time since 1997 as the Gunners fought hard to beat Boro 2-1 at the Riverside Stadium.
Asked why he altered things by playing three central defenders (Laurent Koscielny, Gabriel Paulista and Rob Holding) across the back with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Nacho Monreal as wing-backs, Wenger said he wanted to change things up in the wake of last week's disappointing defeat at Crystal Palace.
"It added more stability on the long balls - we knew we'd face a direct game and we have been punished on that," he told Sky Sports.
"The opponent had more of the ball that we're used to - when we lost against West Brom and Crystal Palace we had 70% possession and today we had a bit less.
"We like to dominate the ball, but when the team lacks confidence it's good to change to a system and do something different."
Goals from Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil, either side of Alvaro Negredo's leveller, gave the Gunners a much-needed three points on Teesside as they returned to sixth place on the Premier League table.
Source: tribalfootball.com