Arsene Wenger has swallowed his pride and let top teams have possession... and it's reaping big rewards

Arsene Wenger has finally found a Plan B: give the opposition the ball.

Arsenal used to be accused of trying to pass the ball into the net, intricately threading it through holes and around defenders in the final third until the attack would, on many occasions, peter out. Yet in the past year their best results have come when they have had less of the ball.

Wenger's side still predominantly consume opponents with the passing ability of their technically gifted players, but they are developing an alternative to draw opponents in before springing into an effective, decisive attack. Like a trapdoor spider, they wait for their unsuspecting prey before punishing them with devastating bite.

In their surprise win against Bayern Munich, which has kept their Champions League hopes alive, Arsenal had a paltry 27 per cent possession. The 3-0 demolition of Manchester United at the start of October saw them with just 38 per cent of the ball. In victory in the Community Shield against Chelsea they had a mere 43 per cent. In this calendar year, Arsenal have recorded 11 victories against teams when they have had less than 50 per cent possession, including against Tottenham and Liverpool.

This from a manager who five years ago berated a bemused Carlo Ancelotti for not playing football when Wenger's side had 70 per cent possession but lost 2-0 at Stamford Bridge.