Ljungberg open to Wenger advice

Freddie Ljungberg says he would like to speak to Arsene Wenger ahead of his first home game as Arsenal interim boss against Brighton on Thursday.

Ljungberg’s first game in charge of Arsenal was a 2-2 draw against Norwich on Saturday, as they came from behind twice at Carrow Road.

The interim boss insists speaking to Wenger, who was Arsenal’s boss for 22 years and coached Ljungberg during his time in north London, is among the things he plans to do.

Ljungberg said: “I really would like to speak to [Wenger]. I haven’t spoken to him, it’s been a bit hectic, but that’s on my list.”

The Swede says he is also planning on getting advice from compatriot Sven-Goran Eriksson.

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Along with his job as England manager, Eriksson worked in the UK with both Manchester City and Leicester, and Ljungberg says the experienced coach is another person he is keen on consulting.

“Sven is very intelligent. I spoke to him a lot when he was the manager of England because he was normally watching our games,” said Ljungberg.

“I’ve seen stories in the past about how he treated players and made them feel good, so I’ve stolen a few of those ideas. He’s a great coach and I hope I’ll speak to him soon.”

Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes said earlier this week he thought Ljungberg should have worn a “shirt and tie to show some discipline”.

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He then said that a “suit would’ve show proudness that he took the job”, before saying he didn’t think the Swede is the “the right man”.

Ljungberg responded to Scholes by claiming his suit was in the dry cleaners and added he was unsure whether he would be fitted for a club suit ahead of his first game at the Emirates on Thursday.

“I’ve seen the Premiership, I’ve seen coaches wear a tracksuit, I’ve seen coaches wear a suit, I’ve seen coaches wear a sweater. So I’ll decide on the matchday which I’ll use.

“We’ll see if I have one or not (a club suit). We haven’t fitted one yet with a club suit but I can’t really see that being a discussion. I’ll make sure you’ll know what I wear.”

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Both Unai Emery and the Arsenal players were jeered off the Emirates pitch in games towards the end of the Spaniard’s reign.

Ljungberg wants the atmosphere at the Emirates to improve but knows the only way this can be done is by good performances.

He said: “I think the only way to change the atmosphere in the stadium is the way you play.

“I think the fans were amazing against Norwich, I felt they got more and more energy the more we played in the first half.

“It felt like we were on top of Norwich and I think Arsenal fans get energy from that. They were great, even when we went 1-0 down and 2-1 down, they were louder and that helped us.

“When it comes to the Emirates, the fans want us to win football games and they want us to play good football.

“The only way to try and get a good atmosphere is to try and achieve that. If that’s me or if that’s someone else as a coach, I don’t think that really matters.”