Arsenal Debate – Should Freddie be kept on as Arteta’s assistant?

Freddie Ljungberg should still be retained as an Arsenal coach by Lagos Gooner

“Welcome to Arsenal, Mikel Arteta” I saw this inscription boldly written one of those small time Arsenal blogs on the internet yesterday and what came to my mind was “Has Arteta been announced as our coach yet”? Well, I understand the anxiety everywhere, but it will only be proper to wait until the club makes an official announcement before we go gaga.

Now, back to the topic…If Arteta eventually gets announced (I believe he will get the job) and he wants to choose his deputy, I will love him to please retain Ljungberg as a member of his coaching staff. Freddie is not at fault for Arsenal’s woes this season; he is just unfortunate to be an Arsenal coach at this unfortunate period in Arsenal’s history.

Freddie Ljungberg was made assistant to Emery and to be fair with him, he didn’t really learn anything positive from Emery. The team went through a lot with Emery at the helm of affairs and before he knew it, Emery was sacked, and he was made the care-taker coach until another coach was to be appointed.

Just like Arteta, Ljungberg had no experience of managing a top club; just like Arteta, Ljungberg was supposed to learn from a top coach and just like Arteta, he is an Arsenal legend and just like Arteta, he deserves to be a coach in Arsenal. His time as head coach at Arsenal may not have worked out well for him, but if he is allowed to be an assistant coach for a while and allowed to coach the club again in the future, he may have a better input.

I am of the strongest opinion that Freddie will still do well as Arsenal’s coach one day, but it was just too early for him. Allow him to be Arteta’s assistant for a few seasons and then give him another opportunity to coach the Arsenal’s first team again…

What do you think? Should Arsenal keep Freddie as Arteta’s assistant?

Sylvester Kwentua

29 Comments

  1. It would be ideal if Arteta, Ljungberg and Mertesacker could work together, because each has his own expertise, experience, strengths and weaknesses. But I highly doubt the likes of Ljungberg, Vieira and Henry would want to be the second fiddle to an ex-Gunner who never won anything at Arsenal

    Arsenal surely know the politics at their turf and would most likely put them in different departments to avoid conflict of interests

    If Arsenal are really serious in helping Arteta, they should also put dressing-room troublemakers into transfer list. The younger players have had too many problems to deal with and shouldn’t be distracted or influenced by the rotten apples

    1. @gotanidea, I have to apologize for beating you to first comment, cause I know that has always been your goal.

    2. You make sense, he should assist a top coach, not an assistant. But please forget about Mertazaker who should go back to his home club, not assist in anyway!

      The worst defender ever, a catastrophy, look at him in the bench, all scared and useless, to be near the team have us conceid, you can see he advised Freddie there, we could have been beaten easily 5-0 last game!

      Maybe you just got around not long ago and don’t know calamity Per! Put him in a plane back home immediatly! Geeeee!

    3. I think arteta, mertesacker and Ljungberg could work. All are passionate about the club, and basically cover 3 different areas of positions as their expertise. I would like us to go a bit further and add a goalkeeping coach and striker coach to the ex arsenal players backroom staff.

      Hopefully we could then get overmars to run our academy.

      Btw arteta did win something

  2. Hope kev is wrong about tim Cahill going to be on the coaching staff would make no sense as he has no coaching experience Arteta has to surround himself with experience staff that will help him hit the ground running it’s to big a risk to have novice coaching staff as well as the manager will only end in disaster!!

  3. I think Arteta is bringing his own staff.
    Apparently Ljungberg is staying at the club in some capacity.
    I am predicting Arteta will be announced as Head Coach today.
    (Sherlock) 🙂

  4. No more interference from upstairs, if Mikel wants him as AC, fine, but he has to be able to appoint his staff and set it up how it will work for him.

    1. Fair enough Alf, but Arteta would be making a mistake not returning Ljundberg to his former position as U23’s coach at least, if Ljundberg is happy to return there.
      By the way, on what basis is the statement made Admin, that Ljundberg learnt “nothing from Emery”?

  5. Mikel Arteta will be announced as Arsenal manager by tomorrow afternoon.
    £60m to spend in January probably on defensive additions.

    1. I would almost prefer they wait till the summer to spend that $60m. Its so hard to bring in good recruits in the winter market.

      With the $60m in january, will they have money to spend in the summer?

  6. No, Freddie must assist a top coach himself, not an assistant who assisted a top coach.

    More logic would be someone younger, Abou Diaby would be amazing Arsenal story!

    They should mainly appoint a Manager, Arteta is hired as coach, but indeed Wenger would be great to be nearby, as Alex is for Man U, he is our Arsenal legend! The all spirit would be back and things in order, you wouldn’t have Auba, Laca trying to leave… No management creates that, a figure to look up to, someone to protect players and coach!

    It is gonna be worst, Eddie doesn’t change anything at all, half of the team wants out for lack of ambition and poor messy management; can’t blame them, we all fed up, they living inside for too long, waisting time, ruining their carriers and spirits!

    Freddie needs to go and assist Ancelotti, coach after that, shit e doing so, to one day deserve coach job, not assist Arteta!

  7. The decision about who will be Arteta’s assistant will will be made by him a no one else. He’s already got a couple of fellow Spaniards in mind but it certainly won’t be Cahill (where on earth did that rumour come from?) but I too hope he chooses Ljungberg.

  8. Who knows what he will do,I think Freddie should be kept on in some capacity but Mikel should have the right to choose his own staff,there is a lot of fan negativity around Arteta’s appointment but I think that is more down to his inexperience as a manager,I am going to be positive and back him, he is going to need a lot of support,he has a very difficult job ahead so lets all unite behind him.

  9. No debate here, Arteta brings his own. Then an assistant to assist an assistant won’t teach him much, Freddie must do as Arteta, assist a top coach to learn from.

    Questions I have for JustArsenal readers and to every fan is:

    Is Arteta is enough to bring Arsenal FC back on track?

    What does it takes to stop Arsenal total shipwreck?

    How many points can we take in next 5 games?
    (Away to Everton, Bournmouth, home Chelsea, Man U. Before transfer window.

    Formation and tac tic he will put against Everton will show his coaching potential, 1 game shows it right away, more so with this Arsenal which hasn’t changed from Emery sacking!

    We all watch same games and obvious we have main defense issue, starting from the center. We miss a Koulibaly, only way to resolve it is for Chambers or Luiz to sit right in that zone as he done on last Emery game, before Luiz injury! We were so dominant and flying!

  10. How possibly missed it? Every single game in charge, defense was even worst. But look who sits next to Eddie! Yep, Mertazaker, advising handling our defense!

    Big MF German trying Hiding behind Eddie each time we conceid, Yep, that good old Calamity Per. Hiding behind defenders or hiding keeper’s vision. Czecni was so mad, left for that, his dad called Per a big sausage causing chaos! Hahaha!

    Eddie can’t ever be a coach if he can pick Mertazaker to assist him, lol.

  11. I heard a question I think it is a very good question.. here goes “what can Arsenal fans possibly gain from reacting negatively to the signing of Mikel Arteta as the Arsenal head coach?” I think we should think about it.. get behind the man and support him is what I think.

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