da bet sport： 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…
da betway： After the sacking of Unai Emery, Arsenal found themselves in a position desperately trying to scramble around for a man to permanently replace the Spaniard. With the season well and truly in full flow, the need to show some assertiveness by finding the right solution is a heavy burden to bear. And in the meantime, it has been left up to Freddie Ljungberg to navigate the choppy waters at the Emirates.
The Swede started off his fledgling tenure as the interim head coach with a whimper and not a bang however. A draw to newly-promoted Norwich, and a dismal home defeat to Brighton. Both of those games were characterised by how very little Ljungberg looked to change things from the final few weeks of Emery’s ill-fated reign. The same players, the same tactics, and the same lack of desire – they conceded an eye-watering 35 shots combined. All the problems that plagued the former PSG boss, was still inherently apparent in the first two games under their temporary boss.
But in the clashes against West Ham and Standard Liege, Ljungberg has brought a sense of refreshing excitement back to the Gunners. Gabriel Martinelli was handed his first Premier League start, Nicolas Pepe scored his first goal from open play, and the likes of Emile Smith Rowe, Reiss Nelson and Bukayo Saka all featured in the Europa League game together. And that is exactly how the Invincibles legend can leave his legacy behind.
Whenever the Gunners do make their long-term appointment, that man could quite conceivably be left with a major disaster, or the first signs of a rebuild. And Ljungberg can no doubt achieve that by the way he can exploit his connection with the club’s abundance of young talents. The aforementioned academy products, and those like Joe Willock and Konstantinos Mavropanos could relish the chance to start more games under a manager who looked after them whilst they were playing for the youth sides in previous seasons.
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Football is a cut-throat environment, and with Ljungberg safe in the knowledge that he has got this job for the short-term at least, can take some risks and expose his starlets to some much-needed first-team action. He previously indicated he wants to lean on the club’s “experienced” players to get them out of their troubles. But he can truly leave his own mark on this side for his eventual successor, by abandoning that approach, throwing caution to the wind, and unleashing those prospects who he knows so well.
Meanwhile, Arsenal fans have hammered this ace for his disappointing display against Standard Liege.