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Freddie Ljungberg. What a footballer he was for us. Absolute terror down the flank, making everyone around him better with is incisive passing and positive attacking play. What most gooners will remember him for most though, is his uncanny habit of scoring big goals in big games.
Some men just aren’t phased by the big occasion, and Freddie seemed to always leave his best for the big dance. We all remember that goal against Chelsea in the 2002 FA Cup final, as well the equalizer against United (which Arsenal then went on to win 3-1) and the winner against Liverpool in that same season.
In 2001 he became the first player to score an FA Cup final goal outside of England with his goal against Liverpool at the Millennium Stadium and then became the first player to score in consecutive FA Cup finals with his goal the following year against Chelsea. The man lived for these moments, and Arsenal have never truly possessed another big game player after him.
Arsenal’s record in the big games over the past few seasons have been dismal, and a lot of that has to do with belief and determination. Ljungberg and co (can’t leave out the likes of Henry, Pires, Bergkamp, and Vieira) always believed they could beat anyone and never felt the pressure no matter how big the occasion. Big confidence equals big performances and big goals, and Arsenal need to find more men with this mentality.
I firmly believe that Arsenal already possess these men internally. The likes of Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez, and Danny Welbeck have scored and performed in many big games for Madrid, Barca, and United respectively, while Giroud has found his scoring touch lately.
Ramsey is never shy to have a pop either, so we just need them as well as their teammates to step up on a more consistent basis. Too many times Arsenal perform in one big match but not in another and it is difficult to put a finger on the reason why.
This season has shown that Arsenal are capable of challenging for major honours, but once again the lads took too long to start performing. We need our key men to stand up and be accounted for the whole way through if this current squad is to bring glory back to Arsenal.
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— Arsenal (@Arsenal) March 25, 2015
