da cassino： 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 apostaganha： So with Unai Emery now gone, Arsenal head into a new era. The club announced that they had sacked the Spaniard on Friday morning, following the Gunners’ defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League the night before.
In relieving Emery of his duties, the north London side have turned to club legend Freddie Ljungberg as their interim head coach, as they search for a permanent successor. And with Norwich coming up in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon, the Swede will no doubt be keen to stamp his imprint on this side.
With that in mind, below is a look at how Arsenal might line up for Ljungberg’s first game in charge of the senior side.
Having stepped aside for goalkeeping duties in the Europa League, Bernd Leno will reclaim his place for the Premier League encounter against the Canaries at the weekend. In front of him, Ljungberg will surely go with Hector Bellerin – if he can shake off a tight hamstring – and Kieran Tierney as his two full-backs, despite the latter playing the full 90 minutes on Thursday night.
Central defence is where the new interim head coach will face his biggest conundrum, with David Luiz going off injured in the first-half against Frankfurt, and Sokratis coming under criticism from the Arsenal support for yet another shaky display. Rob Holding and Calum Chambers could therefore form an all-English partnership at the heart of defence.
Former captain Granit Xhaka made his return to the first-team following his outburst against Crystal Palace, but he was another like Luiz who seemed to pick up an injury. Matteo Guendouzi will surely start from the off against Norwich, whilst Ljungberg’s own experience with working with the club’s academy could see Joe Willock get the edge over Lucas Torreira in central midfield.
And up front, could the Gunners get a rare taste of Mesut Ozil, Nicolas Pepe, Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang all starting at the same time? It’s the kind of tantalising prospect that could help rejuvenate the Gunners, and emphasise Ljungberg’s desire to play attacking football.
Meanwhile, Arsenal fans react to Unai Emery’s experiment with David Luiz in his final game in charge of the club.