Arsene Wenger 'to stick with three-man defence for rest of season'

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger will extend his experiment with a three-man defence until the end of the season, according to a report.

The Gunners boss sprung a surprise against Middlesbrough on Monday evening by tweaking his tried-and-trusted formation, going with a back three for the 2-1 win in the North-East.

It is claimed by the Daily Mail that Wenger now plans to stick with the 3-4-3 setup, as opposed to his usual 4-2-3-1, having perhaps been inspired by the success of league leaders Chelsea who have stormed to the summit since tweaking style in September.

Wenger has used a traditional back four for the vast majority of his 21 years in North London, but a dire run of results - culminating in a fifth defeat in eight league outings to Crystal Palace recently - has forced a rethink.

Arsenal are back in action on Sunday with an FA Cup semi-final meeting against Manchester City, before then turning attention back to league commitments when facing Leicester City three days later.