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If nothing else there were momentary green shoots of recovery in Freddie Ljungberg's first game in charge of Arsenal. A 2-2 draw with Norwich might not have been the result the Swede craved but on reflection he might at least feel like his side are on the right path.

In the first half they managed to impose themselves on the game even if they ended it trailing 2-1. Though they restored parity in the second it was only through the intervention of Bernd Leno on more than one occasion as Arsenal's defence reared its familiarly ugly face once more.

Ljungberg was keen to take pride in his side's fighting spirit as they twice fought back from a deficit but he will also return to London Colney next week acutely aware that he and the coaching staff he is yet to assemble have their work cut out at both ends of the pitch.

football.london reflects on the key talking points from Carrow Road below...

Ljungberg should bench Lacazette

It is Arsenal's blessing and their curse that they have two strikers who could grace the best teams in Europe. Had Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang not been at such a high level then Unai Emery's end would have come far sooner; they scored 42% of his team's goals and carried them through several crucial games.

Their close bond has been a joy for Arsenal to behold and their exceptional understanding means that, at their best, they can do things to defences few others can.

And yet fitting them together has been a challenge for Arsene Wenger, Emery and now Ljungberg. They make for a strong strike duo but to fit them together up front has usually meant playing a back three of packing the base of midfield to rebalance the side.

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Ljungberg opted for the alternative method on Sunday, stationing Aubameyang out wide along with Mesut Ozil and using Lacazette as the facilitator who could drop deep and give room for his strike partners to drive into as well as making an impact in the box.

In flashes it worked and Aubameyang would not have been too disappointed with his two goal haul. However Arsenal's top scorer was too often stationed out wide or on the corner of the box when his team-mates were getting crosses and passes into the area. At other times he felt compelled to track back and cover for Calum Chambers. One of the Premier League's most fearsome strikers ended the game having completed as many tackles as any defender on either side.

Meanwhile Lacazette was struggling. He still looks somewhat off the pace and though he has the right ideas he does not always manage to execute them. He now has a grand total of zero league goals away to sides that did not get relegated in his last 22 games.

Against Norwich Lacazette was dispossessed more than any other Arsenal player and failed to impose himself on Christoph Zimmermann and Ben Godfrey. When chances came his way he snatched at them, rarely testing Tim Krul. That has been typical of his form over recent weeks.

(Image: Harriet Lander/Copa/Getty Images)

It rather begs the question whether the Frenchman should make way for his club captain, perhaps even slipping to the bench. These are early days indeed in Ljungberg's tenure but there is a convincing logic to it, particularly if he intends to continue with a 4-2-3-1 system that will ensure Aubameyang is not as isolated as he was under Emery.

Moving Aubameyang infield would open up a slot on the right in which to restore Nicolas Pepe whilst Ozil's initial performance drifting in from the left against Norwich included some encouraging flashes.

There would be inevitable downsides and risks. For one thing it will not make the tortuous negotiations over a new deal for Lacazette any easier. But the Champions League is the most effective carrot for convincing both the Frenchman and Aubameyang to extend and it may be that some short-term frustration for the No.9 helps Arsenal in the long term.

It may be that Ljungberg concludes a limited Aubameyang and a slightly off-form Lacazette are better together than one of them is apart but it would be wise to at least see how his Premier League side fares with just one of the strike force.

Leno's reputation spoiled by those in front of him

Can a top-six goalkeeper who is averaging a goal and a half against him on a weekly basis be considered to be having an impressive season?

If not then Leno would have all the more reason to ruefully reflect on those in front of him. Their inability to keep shots from raining down on his goal means Leno has a goals against record to rank alongside his contemporaries at Brighton and Newcastle, not Ederson and Kepa.

Still he could argue that he has had a season on par with the other elite goalkeepers. No player in the top flight has made more saves than Leno's 59, 20 more than David de Gea and nearly double the combined tally of Liverpool duo Alisson and Adrian.

Few of those goalkeepers have made a save this season quite as impressive as the remarkable diving block to deny Kenny McLean, the sort of fingertip deflection that on first viewing you assume is instead down to inaccurate finishing from the strikers. He continued in that vein throughout a second half in which Norwich were by far the more potent attacking force, making decisive blocks from Teemu Pukki and Max Aarons.

Leno was as precise in analysing the failings of Arsenal's second half as he had been in keeping the Gunners in the game.

He said after the match: "I think it's not only about the defence, midfield or the strikers, I think in the second half the distances were too big and we didn't press like we did in the first half and against a team like Norwich they can play very well and on the counter attack and this was the main problem because it was a personal mistake or losing the ball and I think this was the difference."

Ultimately the difference for Arsenal was Leno. Had it not been for the German this may have been three, not two, points lost.

Supporter impatience knows no limits

Bukayo Saka did not stop long on his way out of Carrow Road. A request to stop and speak to the press was brushed aside by a player who appeared to be reliving every frustrating moment of his brief cameo at Carrow Road.

Frankly he looked like he had just been looking through Twitter, rarely a good idea for a professional footballer. If he did he would have found little evidence of the patience and support that is vital for an 18-year-old taking his first forays in the Premier League.

Instead his introduction was being used as a stick to beat Ljungberg after just one training session. Never mind that the interim head coach may simply have turned to a player whose talents he knows more thoroughly having spearheaded his development last season nor that Saka did nothing either positive or negative to contribute to the result.

Unfortunately for Saka he is treading a familiar path that the likes of Alex Iwobi and Hector Bellerin before them. A club that once prided itself on being a supportive environment has an online fanbase that, at least in part, will tun on its brightest prospects the moment they hit a rookie wall. It cannot possibly help these players fulfill their significant potential.