Most top teams don't play with wingers; they use a combination of different tactics out wide and up front.
Almost every team has a defensive midfield duo whose job it is to help out the full backs when the left or right midfield player is out of position. This makes wing play very difficult because you rarely get one on one. Having an out an out winger is a waste of a position for 90% of the time (Lennon, SWP, Bily even Nani - not crap players but not effective/ efficient enough to merit a regular place).
To combat this, overlapping full-backs join up to get crosses in and draw defenders away but this can be slow build up.
Really good teams have wing forwards like Messi, not really a winger, midfielder or a striker but can pop up in any of the three. Rooney does this, Arshavin, Ronaldo etc.
A player like this has to have smarts, he'll act as a midfield player when the buildup is slow or if the full back gets involved he's a center forward or it you break quickly his job is to isolate a defender and run with the ball.
Closest we had was Donovan and you can see the difference he made because opposing teams have to drop off our midfield letting Arteta, Baines etc into the game. It helps the whole team become better.
The trick is not to have a formation as such but be fluid and to change the formation throughout the game. Donovan often switched sides, went up front, and went wide.
In my view, what we need is a wing forward but they are expensive and rare. Nzogbia can do it, haven't seen enough of Wellbeck or Sturridge.
What is encouraging is that Moyes has used this tactic before and has tried to get Anichede, Jo to do it, so he recognises the problem.
A player like this will fit into any formation you care to name, as Donovan did and that's the trick, formation is what you do when you don't have the ball, fluid attacking play is about having variety in the team/ squad.
