Freddie Ljungberg • Arsenal 2003/04, The Invincibles • Masterclass

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Freddie Ljungberg joined Arsenal from Swedish club Halmstad in the summer of 1998, and in nine seasons at the club won two Premier League titles and three FA Cups. He is, however, most famously associated with the team known as The Invincibles, which under Arsène Wenger went through the entire 2003/04 Premier League season unbeaten.
In this fascinating Masterclass filmed exclusively for The Coaches’ Voice, Ljungberg - who had a spell as Arsenal interim manager late in 2019 - gives a superb insight into that team from the rare perspective of one of its central figures. He reveals his initial struggles to adapt to playing in a wide role when he first moved to north London, having previously operated as a central midfielder or number 10, before going on to talk in detail about the set-up of the team and the roles each individual had in Wenger’s preferred 4-4-2 system.
It’s a brilliant study of one of English football’s most iconic teams, delivered by one of its key players.
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#ljungberg #arsenal #wenger #tactics #invincibles #thecoachesvoice #soccer #football #henry #vieira

[@Fogonthetyne69]

Man Utd vs Arsenal 1998-2004, The best rivalry in English football history

[@ashconbeats8414]

Yeah completely agree. My favourite match was at Highbury 2-2 in 2003!

[@erundahuitta4051]

I think in terms of passion, sports anger and aggression, it certainly is. But speaking in the language of numbers and statistics, there will be no equals for Liverpool vs Man City. Even the legendary 2003/2004 season would have brought Arsenal only the 3rd place in the championship of 18/19 and 21/22 seasons.

[@Shemzinho]

@@erundahuitta4051 but then you need to account for the bankroll 💰 can’t compare different eras

[@trizamuhammadirfan9071]

These rivalry period and Mourinho came to Chelsea till 2007 what Made EPL right now..

[@108u9]

Wenger: “Look, uhh...” (Proceeds to give PhD on tactics)

[@DustyFC]

"Well, uhh... I did not see it"

[@realist1641]

1:15 “We had so much power and strength in those four that whoever countered had to do that really well” - As confirmed by Henry, Wenger’s biggest mistake was building a team a round Cesc and other smaller technical players. Losing that strength in midfield made it easier for teams to open us up. Vieira was never successfully replaced and we continued with weaker fragile midfielders who would get kicked and injured regularly.

[@jagmaharesi2486]

Exactly. Always complained about not getting backed but even then he didn't spend it wisely.

[@finding_aether]

The year after Arsenal achieved the invincibles, the scouting team wanted Essien, they were told Arsenal had 5 mil poinds. Arsenal had no money. They had to go for players nobody wanted. Sort of like moneyball. They punched above their weight.

[@jagmaharesi2486]

@@finding_aether so they can look for other essiens then

[@86baggio]

Diaby came close to replacing Viera but his injuries ruined him.. such a shame for him as well as us.

[@bibubabobi9190]

Building a round cesc is not the issue.. he carry the team post invisible era until the last day. I think wenger reluctant to invest on proven player upfront and hoping for injured players to came back every season is limiting the team from their full potential.

[@dellycorgena]

😭...I miss my team. This is the heart I grew up with. Even the mentality of the team, made me the man I am today and it hurts to hear Freddie talk. 8:43 "we just loved winning"..what happened to us.😭

[@grantonokah4916]

I can listen to Freddie all day. I wish him success wherever he goes next..there’s a few coaching vacancies in the world. And I hope he comes back to take over at Arsenal

[@henriklarsson5221]

He is making career in Swedish television ;)

[@crafyer]

Im a Manchester United supporter, but theese years, 97 to about 2008 were truely the golden age of football and the Prem, Arsenal at this time were fantastic, incredible players and incredible manager, the rivalry back then was real! I remember the 2000 UEFA-Cup final vs Galatasary , i secretly wanted Arsenal to win, how can you not treat such great players to the cup victory? Felt bad for them losing to Galatasaray. And then the Champions League final! As a Swede it was amazing seeing Henrik Larsson coming of the bench and completley turn the game around in the last 20 minutes, but as a supporter of English football it felt bad seeing Henry, Ljungberg and the rest probably losing the only Champions league final they would get to as a team. Legendary team, much respect!

[@DogukanSeptem]

Perspective of a key player instead of the manager, it's very interesting. I hope we can see more content like this.

[@pistolvonfinn]

such a juxtapose to the current team. Top players in their prime, size, power, and finesse. almost heartbreaking at this point.

[@dequanmsealey1356]

I'd say We are about 5 top players short Cole - Tierney Gabriel Gilberto- partey Ljungberg- aubameyang

[@connor_afc]

We’ll be back dw 😅

[@gladiatorscoops]

This is wonderful to watch Freddie talk about the tactics and how the players played together. He was right about the team being very hard to counter attack. I've been saying it for years that Arsenal need to follow this same model, Get in powerful and fast players into the entire backline and in the centre of midfield and we are far less vulnerable. It's been a huge weakness in the team for the past decade. That Invincibles team had pace throughout the entire team and even when someone came in like Keown or Edu who didn't have the same level of athleticism they were good enough players where it didn't matter. We could even get away with playing Cygan for the odd game because we had top quality around him. That team would tear apart the current Arsenal team, imagine Xhaka trying to cope with Vieira, he wouldn't get near him.

[@donaldedwards-yu4ui]

"We love you Freddie, because you've got red hair, we love you Freddie". My favorite player's song ever. What a player. Legend!

[@sherminator1617]

Swedes forgot this legend. They always talk about what Henrik Larsson did in scotland instead of what fredddie did in arsenal. Top player

[@theneophytejournal]

5:21 damn who remember Junichi Inamoto? also that Fulham Puma kit has to be one of best classics

[@Webgooner]

amazing is how many players were not huge signings and we’re adapted into new positions! We can only dream again

[@arthadinataar3659]

Thanks for sharing wenger tactics.

[@rpe11]

It was a joy to watch this Arsenal side.

[@Maj1794]

What an era that was for Arsenal.. would do anything to see the good old days again!

[@ordenax]

The legend at it.

[@Bandz21]

Exciting, insightful…and sad to watch all at the same time…The life and times of an Arsenal supporter 😶

[@jameswilkinson6558]

Such an Amazingly Built Team, So many legends!

[@6ThumbsYT]

Best team to ever be put together in the premier league

[@t.a.g.lkmmmn5127]

U already know this is gonna bang

[@ArifToro]

06 cl final was the pinnacle.. sadly after that it all went downhill

[@AK-kz8pe]

UEFALona. What else is there to say?

[@mwanafalsafa3613]

We’re back

[@OffByHearttt]

Loved watching Freddie play

[@davidmuoka3328]

The era of legends and up to this date no one else has won the premiere league unbeaten

[@ryanlopez1651]

What I'd give for the current team to even be half as good as these men were...

[@TheMamurluk]

You could probably say that now

[@gentleken7864]

We need Ljungberg to have a word in the ear of Alexander Isak and tell him to come to Arsenal this summer!

[@killen2167]

as a young swede growing up I was a massive Arsenal and ofcourse Freddie Ljungberg fan. So whenever I went to the hairdresser I always wanted the mohawk with red color so I always said "make a freddie Ljungberg hairstyle" Only problem was that one day when I went to the hairdresser and said what kind of hairstyle I wanted the barber wasent sure of who Freddie was so he looked him up on google, this was around 2005, I think it was the year he cut off all his hair and well my mom wasent very happy with my new haircut when I got home, doesnt surprise me though I dident have any hair left.

[@sc_r1ptv122]

When he was speaking about Lauren and said "I said about him in one interview". I thought he was going to reference the time on MOTD when he said, "Lauren was great, if anyone kicked me, he would tell me don't worry and then go kick the shit out of him" 🤣🤣🤣

[@davidbowen6284]

Freddie was like Iniesta. His running off the ball was how he used to ghost into the box and score goals. Normally his runs were picked up by Bergkamp. Pires and Cole on the other side totally different. Cole used to overlap Pires and overload the space, and of coarse Henry occasionally drifted out there. Lauren didn't go forward as much as what Cole did in tandom with Pires, but Freddie was better at drifting inside

[@obinnawilliams9436]

I think that power and technicality is probably what Arteta is building again. Funny to hear the transformation of Ashley Cole yet the guy turned on us 🤦🏽‍♂️

[@jonnipon3491]

Interesting to hear him describe Henry as a big and heavy dude. ,He moved lika a ballerina.

[@ronniep9272]

Well he was 6ft2 and weighed 83kg.

[@your7jj7]

it's just everyone at prime, including Arsene and Pat

[@bengreening9387]

Arsenal haven’t been the same since the days of Slayman, Cola, Soul, Petra, Jerry.

[@ivantunek3837]

I love how he talk about some of the best players in history, and they’re his mares so he describes them as: Yes Thierry, fast powerful done

[@adhynugroho9424]

"The general size of the team was massive. That's underestimated sometimes....." Every time I play against some dude in FIFA who has a Patrick Vieira in their squad: "Well, there goes my chances of trying to play through the middle."

[@BloodyNapkin25]

Invincibles🤤

[@evansjones1347]

We marshalled everything that season🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@furydj2311]

Awesome really good I watched it twice ❤

[@jamaicaboy544]

Watching this just breaks my heart how far as a club we have fell

[@bugbreadbuns]

We're back

[@mwanafalsafa3613]

We’re back

[@realestatewithlusanda4549]

This team is exactly what Guarfiola has modelled with his current team. If you look at City, they are physical but with fast, very good technical players that can really go toe to toe with most players or teams. Thats why i want Rice and Partey as our midfielders, the 2 of them holding with saka and Martinelli gives us the closest thing to this team. Gabriel and Saliba arr physical, Zinchenko should get back in and White can give way to Tomiyasu or Timber, a rb that will be good defensively as well.

[@hakc97again]

Ben White is good defensively

[@bibubabobi9190]

Back then it was possible to assemble such a team with good scouting network..but with new stadium debt and oil clubs came in and destroy the transfer market, we could not afford to compete at the highest level. Wenger did well very well indeed.

[@robburnett8404]

Loved him as our modern coach

[@mrboni5]

Back when men played football

[@stephengrey644]

9:20 “11 leaders on the pitch” What arteta is implementing

[@benedictwallis5820]

Will always be the team that drew 1-1 with Portsmouth thanks to a Pires dive. Happened in September, that would of ended there unbeaten run after a few games!

[@jamesboyd8665]

Arsenal legend

[@MuhammadUmar-us4pe]

Great player and a great mind as well to bad we can't go back to the glory days ah well on to the future

[@meorfikri633]

The greatest team ever in Premier League

[@MorganLeodeMenezes]

Man United 1998/99 is the best premier league squad ever

[@Vetleh]

And now we have Willian stuck for 2 more years

[@AlpMercan14]

I need arsene wenger in this channel

[@lennoxrass9071]

one of the strongest on the pitch for sweden

[@Audimattis77]

Vadå Freddie Lungberg, grabben har ju helt tappat sin svenska.

[@riyazsonday7025]

Someone make Arteta watch this Masterclass

[@Rickcasco]

you can see through this the importance of chambers for pepe's development this season

[@snaggiz]

I actually think Chambers isn’t too bad at RB. He definitely helped Pepe by being a more reliable partner to play with. His crossing isn’t bad either.

[@hawkalex7]

I need a board like that

[@moharikram1687]

Hurm... seems like their 4-4-2 formation is just a camouflage of 4-2-2-2 magic square Brazilian style.... vastly different from 4-4-2 SAF version.

[@Aikisbest]

From the thumbnail I thought this was a chess video at first and went all like, wait what? XD

[@yonisf_fzzz2188]

Freddie

[@containedhurricane]

Wenger revolutionized football tactics in EPL with this positional play, but it's obsolete now. Almost all EPL teams currently use their fullbacks as true wingers to whip in crosses and their inverted wingers as inside forwards to cut inside

[@ejiro241]

Its not obsolete when you re-juvenate it to the modern game but i get what you mean.

[@YayaTourney]

He explained that the full backs pushed high and provided the width and the wingers were inside forwards. This team would compete today using the same system.

[@pettersaethre]

arsenals full backs indeed were offensive and came on powerful overlaps

[@RafsanS15]

did Mourinho's 4-3-3 / 4-5-1 made several teams stopped using 4-4-2?

[@holdziemc9601]

Them dots mean nothing without passion soul and determination like arsenal invincible so glad I grew up watching that beautiful football shame the passion comes from the top.thats not there no more I support arsenal because I was born and bred in Highbury and plumstead, my grandad and he's dad and so on all Highbury my nan lived dead opposite Highbury and moved out in 2003 and than they built the Emirates rite opposite Jackson Road and my grandad moved to South London plumstead near the Common also arsenal's first game can't remember if it was winns common or plumstead the year my grandad died was just before the europa final against Chelsea, the words off my grandad before he died the club will never be how it was till these American owners fuck off, bearing in mind he told me there was gunna be a virus that would change the world before he died then corona kicked started I don't think I could doubt this man ever 💙

[@afanwithagun]

How the mighty has fallen.. most of them left circa 2006/7.. Then came Stan Kroenke and we never won the league again.. Nice video but it made me angry just thinking what we had what we are right now.. #KroenkeOut

[@dispiff]

49 49 undefeated...

[@angryfish3679]

Thanks, Freddy Lungbög

[@mattdevereux5940]

it was poetry freddie bobbie, gilberto or ray parlour, vieria, lauren,cole,solo,kolo or keown, it was some team, bergkamp,henry

[@henrym8655]

Hero

[@seansoobyiah9844]

This is what arsenal is lacking now. Our wingers don’t make runs forward to the middle, but only play on the wings. We should def go back to a 442, maybe have Leno Cedric-Saliba-gabi-tierny Pepe-Bissouma-partey-saka Laca-Auba

[@davidcarver8936]

Imagine getting told in your face “its fine i can pocket him” and proceeds to happen 😭

[@andrasdudas8226]

I don't know what happened with the Arsenal defensewise, in the late Wenger years. They were the best attack in PL, and the worst defense in pl.

[@vybhavbadri4002]

❤️❤️❤️

[@utdallornone590]

Does anyone know where i can get the tactical board from?

[@ens4808]

Wenget n ferguson aka taggart made the premiership

[@cemkarabulut2717]

Can u make video with Fatih Terim??

[@johnivindboyesen2833]

Cant believe they let Ashley Cole go.

[@jcdova29]

Arsenal was a machine a well oiled machine. If it wasn’t for the diving queen Rooney getting a penalty Arsenal continues its unbeaten streak.

[@kaartheikgeiyan6004]

This team should have won much more. Would have if the club had more resources ...

[@finding_aether]

@3.25 lmao Ashley Cole was such a badass

[@alaooooy7]

16:45

[@davidcarver8936]

I mean we getting there with the new team. Yes they will never be as good but we can dream. Lahmann - Ramsdale Lauren - Tomiyasu Toure - White Sol - Gabriel Cole - Tierney Silva - Partey Vieira - Lokonga Freddie - Saka Robbie - Smith Rowe Henry - Auba Dennis - Odegaard Similar profiles in most positions which is a step forward

[@hamzashariq9057]

Unpopular opinion But tbf Freddie>>>> arteta

[@markbaskett7079]

He almost sounds completely English, even uses all the slang and patter lol.

[@hakc97again]

I still hear his accent

[@bengreening9387]

Jerry Henry

[@mrrjh5609]

Tears 😭 #kroenkeout!!!!

[@kingsleyagyapong9207]

But Mr Freddie can be selfish sometimes although he was great player.Lw,Rw,10/8

[@Ken-ni5iu]

Interesting,a former player is trying to explain his manager tactic in a professional platform,that acts like even Ljungberg is more professional that Arsene Wenger😏

[@Jevandrixx]

Athleticism..... how far the mighty have fallen....

[@tomgarify]

Football was more exciting then. Less tactical.

[@milesm6931]

sounds better than arteta

[@y-unespynchonesky9708]

They deserved to win The Champions League.

[@ajansen8817]

Clear of Arteta in my book

[@jagmaharesi2486]

Yeah he's been coaching for longer than mikel

[@ImYourHuckleberry_29]

I fancy Freddy over Henry. Freddy was a big game player.

[@shrisiva4016]

What a legendary team...

[@rljmofokeng]

As an Arsenal Fan this such a Joy to watch. How I wish we could return to the days where we are competing at the top

[@olliefrench]

Soon🙏❤️

[@JamesNjoroge-bp1fu]

We're back, and we're massive

[@ottson]

This information is very useful for trying to recreate the invincibles tactic in fm. Wing backs going forward but not necessarily crossing too often, wingers cutting inside, working the ball into the box etc.

[@chrisfraser5088]

What a team, what a time. I miss this Arsenal so much. Big up to Freddie! Legend!

[@MichaelHattem]

What is interesting about the side is how many of the players Arsène played out of their original position because he saw they were better suited for a new position.

[@Writtenmirror]

This is the model Mikel is building his team from. Makes sense

[@bg22757]

He sounds almost entirely English now lol. Top player.