Arsenal great Martin Keown has compared Duncan Ferguson’s interim spell in charge of Everton to Freddie Ljungberg’s time at the Gunners as they drew a close on their stints at the helm.
The two clubs played out a turgid 0-0 at Goodison Park as newly appointed managers Carlo Ancelotti and Mikel Arteta watched on from the director’s box. A game devoid of quality, it underlined the scale of the task ahead of both managers.
Their arrivals mark the end of Ferguson and Ljungberg’s spells in charge of both clubs, with Keown believing the former had a far more positive impact over the last few weeks than his counterpart.
Taking over following the sacking of Marco Silva, Ferguson brought swathes of belief and energy back to Goodison Park, picking up five points from three games, including a 3-1 win against Chelsea and an important away draw at Old Trafford. In contrast, Freddie Ljungberg’s record of five points from five games underlines the division between the two managers.
“Duncan Ferguson will be pleased because he's had good results. Freddie Ljungberg has been quite poor in comparison," Keown told BT Sport.
"Freddie needs help urgently. I don't know if he's going to be part of it but Arsenal are lacking direction."
Arsenal recorded their first clean sheet in their last fifteen games in all competitions – their first in the league since the opening weekend – as Ljungberg fielded the club’s youngest team since 2010/11.
However, there was few other positives for the Gunners to take, with the attack failing to test Jordan Pickford in goal as record summer signing Nicolas Pepe remained an unused substitute.
Indeed, Keown believed their performance underlined the work that lies ahead for Arteta.
Keown added: "It was really disappointing. The game was there to be won and nobody seemed to want to win it. Arsenal were devoid of quality and there is a lot of work to be done.”
