What Changes Must Freddie Ljungberg Make At Arsenal?
The departure of Unai Emery from the Emirates was one of the least surprising bits of news to come out of the world of sport following Arsenal’s defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt. It seemed that only a win would have kept him in the job, and despite the constant reassurance from the board; he would be fired before their next Premier League fixture.
The Spaniard was the first manager to be fired by the club since the departure of Arsene Wenger, and there is a feeling that the Gunners can’t afford to get the next manager as wrong as they did with Emery. The man in the leading position at present is former Arsenal player Freddie Ljungberg.
He was appointed as assistant manager at the beginning of the season following an impressive tenure as a youth coach, but he will at least get a trial as the senior boss before an announcement is made. This would put the Swede in full control of his destiny, and he could impress should he make the important changes that the club have been crying out for. But, what issues are there for him to address?
Leaky Defence
Getting the backline sorted will be his biggest challenge, and appointing Per Mertesacker as his assistant could be the biggest factor behind addressing this. There have been issues surrounding the Gunners defence all season, with David Luiz’s signing go down like a lead balloon. Sokratis has also been questioned consistently. Ljungberg’s first big decision was to drop the Greek defender in place of Shkodran Mustafi.
However, in truth, the defence once against struggled in his first match. They gave away numerous chances to Norwich City in Sunday’s match, and there was a sense that the Gunners were fortunate to have hung on for a draw. Teemu Pukki once again put question marks over Luiz as he ran past him far too easily to get his goal.
No team in the top 12 have conceded more than Arsenal’s tally of 21, and that will need to change if they want their odds to increase on a top-four finish.
Preferred System
Ljungberg hasn’t been a manager for too long, but he will instantly have to settle on a formation that he wants to play with this Gunners side. Emery couldn’t settle on one and constantly changed this season between a 3-5-2, 4-3-2 and 4-3-1-2. The Swede decided to opt for the latter in his first game in charge, and that was mainly to include Mesut Ozil in his starting line-up.
However, the longer that the game went on the more that he tried to introduce wide players to get down the sides of the Canaries defence. The problem with that 4-3-1-2 formation is that you sacrifice the width in the attacking areas, particularly when Calum Chambers is playing in his unfamiliar right-back position. Bukayo Sako and Gabriel Martinelli both looked lively when they come on, but neither was able to have the desired outcome in such a short amount of time on the pitch. It will be interesting to see whether the Swede changes his formation for his second game in charge.
Nicolas Pepe
Arsenal’s record-breaking summer signing has endured a disastrous start to his career at the Emirates, and he will be looking to build his confidence under Ljungberg.
There is no doubting that there is a good player in Pepe, with the former Lille player boosting pace that could rival a stallion in the Kentucky Derby horse race.
However, he has struggled to make an impression on the Premier League to this point. It was noted that the Gunners brought on Sako and Martinelli when they were looking for a winner at Carrow Road and left Pepe on the bench looking on.
If Ljungberg can get a tune out of the former Lille winger, then he may be nailed on to get the permanent job. However, the Swede will have to stick his neck out to make that happen as the Ivorian has only scored one goal in his 12 Premier League appearances.
