This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…
Well, this isn’t the start Freddie Ljungberg would have imagined when he took over as interim head coach of Arsenal. The Swede revealed that he is keen to put smiles back on faces, but unfortunately for him, the frowns have gotten longer. Two games into his fledgling tenure, and no wins, with a draw at Norwich followed up by a truly dismal defeat at home to Brighton.
On Monday night, the Gunners take on another London-based team who are struggling for both confidence and results in West Ham. Manuel Pellegrini’s side have just 16 points to their name in the Premier League and have already conceded 25 goals, whilst they have just one win in their previous nine games across all competitions (albeit that sole victory coming against Chelsea).
The Hammers represent the perfect opportunity for Ljungberg to get the ball rolling, and he must be unafraid to throw the kitchen sink at them. And so below is a look at the kind of line-up the Invincibles hero should think of starting.
Perhaps the only man who comes out of Ljungberg’s opening two games in charge with any credit, is Bernd Leno. The Germany international has arguably stopped the Gunners getting humiliated against both Norwich and Brighton, making a total of 13 saves, with ten of them coming from efforts taken inside the box. In front of him, the Arsenal boss has used both Shkodran Mustafi and Sokratis to partner David Luiz, but one man who has to figure in that conversation is Calum Chambers.
The former Southampton man has been a reliable presence when playing out of position at right-back, averaging a 6.79 match rating in the Premier League. At full-back, Kieran Tierney’s cameo against Brighton may be an indication that he is now fully fit and ready to start once more.
In midfield, Lucas Torreira, who was criticised by sections of the Arsenal support for his performance on Thursday night, could drop to the bench with Matteo Guendouzi returning to the starting line-up. Ljungberg’s biggest chance to really shake things up is further forward, and he has a chance to really stamp his authority.
Despite his goal, Alexandre Lacazette has looked out-of-sorts all season, netting just five times all season, whilst Joe Willock was another player who suffered the wrath of Gunners fans after the Brighton game. If Ljungberg asserts his dominance and drops the duo, then that could mean a chance for the likes of Gabriel Martinelli and Nicolas Pepe to make their claims for a starting role in the future.
It’s a potential line-up brimming with attacking intent and promise, and that is exactly the kind of approach Ljungberg needs to take.
Meanwhile, Freddie Ljungberg is repeating this one key mistake that Unai Emery used to make.
