Leicester will be looking to emulate 2016 at City, Frank Lampard has a special reunion and Freddie Ljungberg signs off
Unless Mikel Arteta decides there really is no time like the present and, without even taking a training session, oversees Arsenal’s visit to Goodison Park from the dugout this will be Freddie Ljungberg’s final match in temporary charge. It is easy to feel some sympathy with Ljungberg given that, throughout his five games so far, he has had to operate with no coaching staff to speak of and little certainty about the length of his tenure.
Arsenal had made clear upon Unai Emery’s departure that they would be open to giving Ljungberg a run until the end of the season but failed to equip him with the tools required to show what he could do. Was this meant to be a kind of audition or not? In fairness to the Swede, he has cut a dignified figure throughout the process and stressed he is aware that, in the end, this is all strictly business. Ljungberg will presumably join Arteta’s backroom staff and keep an eye out for future managerial opportunities elsewhere; what a nice touch it would be, though, if one of Arsenal’s most beloved former players could sign off his brief return to the spotlight with a crucial win to set up the new head coach’s reign. NA