We Love You Freddie, But...

We love you Freddie,
Because you've got red hair,
We love you Freddie,
Because you're everywhere,
We love you Freddie,
Because you're Arsenal through and through

The news this morning that Freddie Ljunbgerg might be sold off in the transfer window took me on a little trip down memory lane, and so I decided to take a look at the career of an underrated, often-unappreciated midfielder who is undoubtedly an Arsenal great.

It was about 8 years ago that a relatively unheralded 21-year-old Swede came off the bench against Manchester United at Highbury. The now-defunct, then great-white-left-midfield hope for England, Arsenal "youngster" Steven Hughes chipped a ball over the defence with that terrific left foot, and running onto it... Fredrik Ljungberg announced his arrival with a cheeky chipped finish over Peter Schmeichel; 3-0 to the Arsenal, the champions of England. By the end of the season, Arsenal had thrown the leaague and FA Cup away to treble-winners United, but Freddie Ljungberg had established himself.

The £3 million arrival from Halmstads had gained attention for his goalscoring efforts for Sweden in the Euro 2000 qualifiers. It was his televised performance against England that prompted Arsene Wenger to quickly sign him for Arsenal, fending off Liverpool. It was a gamble from Wenger, who rarely ever buys players without having watched them live, but it paid off handsomely. Feisty and fiery, deceptively quick, always willing to get stuck in, with a knack for scoring (especially in big games) and no small amount of skill, Freddie has provided some great performances over the years.

Arsenal fans will never forget how brilliant he was during the double-winning season in 2001/2002. He scored 17 goals to carry us to the Premiership title. It was unbelievable how that little man just seemed to become the team during the run-in, and carried everyone across the finish line. We were stuttering a bit, Pires and van Bronckhorst were ruled out for the season, Henry was off-form and injured, and it could have all gone awry like in 1998/1999. But Freddie said no. Time and time again he popped up with his predatory instinct and sheer will to win. Combining almost telepathically with Bergkamp, Freddie scored 5 times in the 4 games leading up to the title decider against Manchester United, where his shot rebounded to Wiltord, who tucked it away for the winner.

Against West Ham, he single-handedly took Arsenal to victory, using every amount of determination left in him to claw us back from a goal down and then score the winner. Fans at that game said he wept after scoring that goal. You could see that he really loved the Arsenal, and the fans loved him too. Of those 17 goals, barring 2, every goal was a first goal, equalising goal, or winning goal, and one was the goal that put Arsenal 2-0 up in the FA Cup Final against Chelsea - a great reward for a great player. With that Arsenal streak running through him (literally - in the case of his hair!), Freddie really was Mr. Arsenal in 2002.

Unfortunately he's somewhat tailed off since then. Although he contributed 9, 10, and 14 goals in each of the next three seasons, he scored just 2 in all competitions last year, and has just 1 this year. His form has been patchy and poor, and he seems to be slower than before.

So what is the reason for this dramatic decline in his form? Well he has been ravaged by injuries, and his migraine problems haven't helped either. Nor has the fading and subsequent departures of Bergkamp and Pires, two sublime passers who repeatedly spotted Freddie's runs into the box. Some feel that his modelling and large earnings have affected him, and there are even a few theorists (well... me mostly) who feel that his decision to shave off his Sid Vicious hairdo (red streak and all) have had a Samson-like effect on his footballing ability. I think the crucial statistic here though, is the fact that the team has struggled badly over the last two years, and Freddie has struggled with it. Whilst players like Cesc, Jens and Kolo have stepped up to the task, Freddie has been dragged firmly into the malaise.

He has also not been as terrible as some people are making him out to be. Football fans have short memories, and seemingly of late, more than a few Arsenal fans have very short tempers as well. Time and time again I’ve heard people say "he’s rubbish, he can't beat his man anymore", but when did he ever used to? His little stepovers were always laughable, but his shielding of the ball is still fantastic. He has other notable contributions too... his tracking back and tackling are as sharp as ever, and he was a close contender for Arsenal's man-of the-match away at the Bernabeu last season, as well as in the Paris final. He himself admits that his game has suffered, but says that a lot of it has to do with the fact that the team is so new, and that there are so many youngsters in it - he has had to stay back more, and use his experience to guide the youngsters, and it has shown with his interceptions and solid performances in big matches. Unfortunately his wonder-performances from 2002 are what many fans expext of him. It's a pretty difficult benchmark to live-up to, and with a new-look Arsenal side (both in terms of personnel and playing style), Freddie probably finds it tougher and tougher.

Still, it is comparable to the 2 very lean and patchy years that Dennis Bergkamp had after he missed his penalty against Manchester United in the 1999 FA Cup Semi-Final; although Ljungberg's abilities can't be compared to Bergkamp's very obvious genius, the poor form that the Dutchman experienced while Wenger rebuilt the team around Henry and the new arrivals can be compared to Ljungberg's situation. I really don't think that Freddie has become entirely rubbish in the way that people are making him out to be (his game has gotten better and better for Sweden, for whom he is now the captain), but he is certainly a long way off the heights of that double-winning season. OK, he contributes with his running and work-rate, but we need him to be doing more than that. If all we are playing him for is his hard work, then there are Mathieu Flamini and a host of others who can and are willing to do the same job, but are on a fraction of Ljungberg's wage. Goals are what we have come to expect from Freddie, even though Arsene Wenger said he was pleasantly surprised with Ljungberg's goalscoring, because that is not what he had been signed for (at Halmstads he played in the hole behind the front two).

With Rosicky and Hleb playing well, and Walcott progressing nicely, there is a bit less pressure on FL8. Let's hope he can recover properly from his injuries and give it a real go as the season goes on. I hope that his Arsenal career isn't finished, but if his poor form continues, then he will have been at the club a bit too long. It's sad how so many of the fans have turned on such a beloved character, when Seaman, Bergkamp and Pires all had a lot more leeway, but at the same time it is understandable. I would be sad to see him go, and I just hope that it's carefully handled by the club, because he’s been a great servant to us. Where Vieira and Pires constantly flirted with other clubs and agents, Henry thought about Barcelona, and the disgusting Jose Antonio Reyes fucked off back to Spain, Freddie was always steadfastly unflinching in his commitment to the Arsenal. Contract negotiations were never a problem and neither were there any issues with the quality of personnel or the weather.

I’d love it if Freddie could stay and regain some of his fitness and form. He is our longest serving player (!!) and I think he has a lot to offer. But having said that, we are at a crucial stage this year where we really need to win back some respect and put in good performances, and if he could part with the club on amicable terms and a good genuine left-sided replacement could be found, well I’m all for it. Who knows, after signing Winterburn, Suker, Richard Hughes, Kanu and Campbell, maybe Harry Redknapp has place for another ex-Arsenal boy?

Some great Freddie viewing in 8 parts: [PART 1] [PART 2] [PART3] [PART4] [PART 5] [PART 6] [PART 7] [PART 8]