Arsenal is in dire need to get their identity back and with the appointment of Freddy Ljungberg they are trying to do just that or as club director Josh Kroenke described newly appointed interim manager: “First and foremost, Freddie has Arsenal DNA“.
Ljungberg, who used to be a crowd favourite under Arsene Wenger is no stranger to fast-paced attacking-minded football playstyle. On top of that, he has been coaching U-23 Arsenal team from 2018 and later on got promoted to first-team as an assistant manager. However, defensive woes for Gunners are still there and by giving freedom to the players when they have the ball you expose yourself at the back even more.
Having said that, in case Freddie manages to survive December his chances of landing the permanent job with the team would-be very decent to say at least. Keeping in mind, that from the 6 games yet to be played in EPL this year only two of them are against teams that are above Gunners (Chelsea and Manchester City). Plus, the January transfer window could be used to bring fresh blood to boost the struggling defence.
Nevertheless, Ljungberg is not the only manager who can land the job. But who are the other choices?
Massimiliano Allegri
Allegri has been learning the English language and openly admitted that he is open to new ideas, so he is a potential candidate. Previously, the Italian has successfully managed to deliver solid results after taking on a high-profile job with Juventus: 5 straight Serie A and 4 Coppa Italia titles. Those kinds of results speak for themselves.
Nonetheless, Allegri is primarily known for his defensive tactics and has been widely criticized for failing to deliver results in Champions League. Since Arsenal is looking for their identity this kind of appointment might not be the right fit.
Mauricio Pochettino
Since getting fired from Tottenham Mauricio Pochettino has been linked with Bayern München’s job. Still, the deal is yet to materialize. Would it be possible for an Argentinian mastermind to join the fierce rival of the club that got him on the map in the first place?
According to his recent interview, it’s not: “It will be impossible, one day, to move to Arsenal”. On the other hand, when Jose Mourinho was asked by a reporter why he has joined Tottenham when previously he has stated that he will never do so say he replied: “‘[That was] before I was sacked”. Hence, it would be no surprise if Mauricio joins Arsenal and uses a similar justification when asked by journalists.
Mikel Arteta
Pep Guardiola has openly admitted that he would not stand in the way if Mikel Arteta is offered a job in Arsenal. For Gunners, that appointment would make perfect sense. They neglected Mike instead of Emery previously when assigning manager in 2018 and now it might be the perfect time to do the right thing.
Arteta has won with Pep back-to-back titles with Manchester City, played 5 seasons in Arsenal’s shirt and is respected by fans. This kind of background makes him a front-runner for a job alongside Ljungberg in case he (Arteta) actually wishes to take it.
In any case, hiring a manager mid-season is always tricky. Whoever agrees to take the job will be with higher pressure than the players in the NFL SuperBowl trends. Especially if that someone is a high-profile manager.
Hence, it is most likely that Arsenal will stick with Freddie Ljungberg even if the results are not there immediately. However, as January approaches things might change. If the team fails to impress under interim coach, then it would make sense for Arsenal management to hire a more experienced manager that can strengthen the squad by signing players during the winter transfer window.
As for now, Freddie seems to be the right man for the job at the moment and we should give him our trust.
