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There is no denying that Arsenal are in a serious mess right now. After 15 games played, the Gunners have bagged 19 points, with 7 draws and 3 defeats so far this season. Unai Emery was eventually sacked after a string of terrible performances, but interim manager Freddie Ljungberg does not seem to have a solution either.
Though it's early to judge, the coaching staff of Ljungberg has failed to motivate the squad in overcoming their woes. The North London outfit are winless in their last 9 games in all competitions and they're playing West Ham at the London Stadium next, which poses a strong chance of making it 10 games without a win.
If you thought West Ham (A) is a tough game, the fact that Arsenal have to play Manchester City, Everton, Bournemouth, Man United and Chelsea in their next 5 games just makes things tougher for the Gunners.
On that note, here are some of the issues Arsenal need to address to get their season back on track.
4. The managerial situation
As soon as Unai Emery got sacked, the media went bananas, releasing lists of managers who could end up at Arsenal, from the likeliest to the least likely. The likes of Mikel Arteta, Max Allegri, Nuno Espirito Santo, Brendan Rodgers, Rafa Benitez and Mauricio Pochettino were the names often taken amongst news sources and fans, but the club is still in the lookout as they remain desperate to appoint the right man for the job.
An interim manager can, at best, give a short term bounce which allows players to express themselves, something they could not do under their former gaffer. However, at Arsenal, Freddie Ljungberg does not seem to have found a way to motivate the players, and maybe the players themselves are not as strong mentally as we thought they were.
The hierarchy has to find their man as soon as possible because Arsenal cleary faces the prospect of losing out on the Champions League for the fourth year running if they continue to perform at this level. Ljungberg, for all his achievements as an Arsenal player, is still not qualified to become an Arsenal manager, which is why the board has to act fast in confirming their managerial choice.
3. Play players in their natural positions
As easy as this sounds, Freddie Ljungberg has a complicated job of taking out Unai Emery’s style from the squad and imposing his own. Because when the players play under a specific style for 18 months, it takes more than 2-3 games to adapt to a new philosophy.
The main problems Arsenal have right now is as follows; lack of width, no structure in defence, and an unreliable midfield. And the biggest issue right now is undoubtedly, the managerial situation. Currently, Freddie, who is an interim manager, is trying to include the big names in the starting line up hoping that they would fix the short-term problems.
However, it has not worked out at all. This is why the first major thing Freddie should come up with is a basic and simplified formation of 4-3-3. As exciting as the front three of Mesut Ozil, Alex Lacazette and Aubameyang sounds, they are three players who cannot play in a 4-3-3, because neither of them possesses the ability to run at defenders and provide a threat on the flanks, which makes the opposition team commit bodies forward.
So first things first, switch to using Bukayo Saka, Aubameyang/Lacazette and Nicolas Pepe in the front three, which they deployed at Manchester United (A). The aforementioned trio would be blessed with pace, much-needed width, and immense threat through the flanks as well as having a quality CF in his natural position who can trouble the centre-backs.
2. Solve the midfield conundrum
Arsenal's midfield, this season, has lacked creativity. On top of that, they haven't been of any help defensively for the back four either. This is down to how they are managed because the likes of Granit Xhaka, Lucas Torreira, Mesut Ozil, Matteo Guendouzi, Dani Ceballos and Joe Willock are good enough to perform consistently for a top-six side.
If Freddie Ljungberg plays a 4-3-3, the midfield should ideally include Joe Willock as a box to box midfielder, Granit Xhaka playing the deep-lying playmaker, and one of Guendouzi or Torreira, to link the defence with the attack, playing a pure central midfield role.
After everything Xhaka was put through, the Swiss international hasn't put his head down but instead, worked on his game and currently, he is Arsenal's best midfielder by a country mile. The 26-year-old was the only positive from the game against Brighton, and he has drastically improved himself since his dispute with fans a month ago.
On each of his side, either Willock or Ceballos (when fit) should be deployed because they can carry the ball forward and provide with an extra man in attack. On the other hand, Guendouzi should be the first choice for his composure with the ball, and his ability to draw fouls, make tackles and win back possession. Torreira can provide healthy competition to the likes of Xhaka and Guendouzi, or maybe can even bench them.
Arsenal's defence has received limitless criticism for not being good enough, but the Gunners haven't had any structure in the midfield, which often sees them getting caught high up the pitch during counter-attacks, eventually putting all the pressure in the world on the defenders.
1. Massive defensive overhaul in the summer
Coming to the defence, this would not be an easy call for the gaffer to make, but David Luiz and Sokratis Papastathopoulos have made it significantly easier for Ljungberg to bench them for Rob Holding and Calum Chambers. There is no doubt that Luiz and Sokratis cannot play together, and they provide more threat to Arsenal than the opposition.
Which is why a serious overhaul is needed, bringing back the English duo of Holding and Chambers, with Tierney and Bellerin playing as fullbacks. Sokratis and David Luiz, for all the experience they have playing in different countries across Europe, have failed to form a robust partnership at the back for a team who desperately needed an experienced, reliable defence.
They were brought in for the short-term, players who could use their experience to solve the crisis at the back, but the Premier League has proven to be too good a league, particularly for the Greek international.
Ljungberg has been working with this bunch of players for some time now, and now that the ex-invincible has the authority to make decisions, he should not back down at this point. The fans rely on him, and although he clearly won't be blamed by sensible Arsenal fans for the mess, they expect him to help out, in some way or the other.
