Look, if I have a triangle in midfield – Claude Makelele behind and two others just
in front – I will always have an advantage against a pure 4-4-2 where the central
midfielders are side by side. That’s because I will always have an extra man. It
starts with Makelele, who is between the lines. If nobody comes to him he can see
the whole pitch and has time. If he gets closed down it means one of the two other
central midfielders is open. If they are closed down and the other team’s wingers
come inside to help, it means there is space now for us on the flank, either for our
own wingers or for our full-backs. There is nothing a pure 4-4-2 can do to stop
things".