Freddie Ljungberg intends to tap into the knowledge of Arsene Wenger and Sven-Goran Eriksson as he prepares for just his second game in charge of Arsenal.
The Gunners appointed Ljungberg as interim head coach on Friday after sacking Unai Emery – and the former Sweden international oversaw a 2-2 at Norwich on Sunday.
And ahead of Thursday’s Premier League visit of Brighton, both Wenger and Eriksson should be expecting phone calls in the coming days as Ljungberg aims to garner as much wisdom as possible.
Freddie Ljungberg’s first game as manager ended in a draw (Adam Davy/PA)
The 42-year-old said Wenger, who brought Ljungberg to Arsenal as a player back in 1998, and Eriksson – the last Swede to manage in the Premier League – could offer valuable experience as he looks to build his own career.
Asked if he had spoken to former Arsenal boss Wenger, he replied: “No (not yet).
“I would really like to speak to him. I’m in contact with him but I haven’t spoke to him because it’s been a bit hectic, but it’s on my list to do so.
“He was here for 22 years as the coach so he has a lot of experience. And he probably has some things that he thinks are important that he can share with me and make me a better coach. That’s what I wanted to ask.”
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Freddie Ljungberg played under Arsene Wenger at Arsenal (Matthew Fearn/PA)
After Wenger, Ljungberg is likely to contact former England manager Eriksson.
While he never played under the 71-year-old, Ljungberg has heard good things about a man who also had stints in charge of Manchester City and Leicester.
“Sven is intelligent,” he added.
“I spoke to him a lot when he was the manager of England because he was watching our games.
Sven Goran Erikssonspoke to Freddie Ljungberg his England tenure (Owen Humphreys/PA)
“I know in the past, some stories of how he treated players and how he made them feel good and things like that.
“I have stolen a little bit of those ideas. He’s a great coach, it’s been a long time, and I hope I can speak to him soon.”
Ljungberg found himself thrust into the managerial spotlight after Emery’s exit was confirmed on the back of a run of seven games without a win.
The Spaniard had lost the faith of the Arsenal supporters before ultimately losing the backing of the club’s hierarchy.
But Ljungberg, who was promoted from manager of Arsenal Under-23s to be an assistant to Emery at the start of the season, refused to criticise his predecessor.
Unai Emery was sacked last month (Nigel French/PA)
“What I try to focus on is going forward,” he said.
“I’ve been here, I’ve done two training sessions now and I don’t want to talk about the coaches before.
“I think Unai did a great job and was a great leader, and a fantastic coach. That’s not for me to judge. I look forward.
“The main thing for me was that when we were at Norwich we hadn’t won an away game since the first game of the season.
“I felt that the players could react that way and in my opinion we played well offensively. It was good. But now we go forward.”
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