‘The team is still sick’: Arsenal legend Robert Pires calls on former club to ‘find the right medicine’ when they appoint their new permanent manager
- Robert Pires wants Arsenal to ‘find the right medicine’ with their new manager
- The club legend believes Arsenal are ‘still sick’, despite Unai Emery’s sacking
- Former Arsenal star Freddie Ljungberg has been named as interim manager
- He could only manage a 2-2 draw at Norwich in his first game in charge though
Arsenal legend Robert Pires believes his former club is ‘still sick’ and that they must ‘find the right medicine’ when they appoint a new permanent manager.
The Gunners parted company with Unai Emery last week after he oversaw a woeful start to the season that has left them seven points off the Champions League places.
Former Arsenal star Freddie Ljungberg has been named as interim manager but he could only manage a 2-2 draw at Norwich in his first game in charge on Sunday.
Robert Pires believes Arsenal must ‘find the right medicine’ when appointing a new manager
Freddie Ljungberg could only manage a 2-2 draw at Norwich in his first game in interim charge
Speaking after the match at Carrow Road, Pires claimed that the new permanent manager must be able to address the club’s crippling issues.
The Frenchman told Canal Plus: ‘This was a complicated and difficult game, stressful even sometimes.
‘The bottom line is that the team is still sick. Freddie or someone else, they are going to have to find the right medicine.
‘They are going to have to be patient but this is a little bit what has been happening since the start of the season.
‘We are weak, we are not calm. When you are lacking confidence, you take less responsibility. You try fewer things.
‘I think going forward things look very good, but defensively, and Freddie knows this, with Per (Mertesacker), a lot of work is required.’
Ljungberg (L) will be the first to get the chance to enhance his claims as the club’s new boss
After the draw at Carrow Road, Ljungberg insisted his team can recover from their worst start to a league campaign since 1975 to make the top four.
Ljungberg said: ‘100 per cent [Arsenal can still make the top four]. Teams drop points here and there, they drop points, we drop points, Spurs, it’s a bit of a crazy league and of course I hope and think that Arsenal can get back to the top four.’
Arsenal have a long list of potential candidates to work through including Brendan Rodgers, Mikel Arteta, Patrick Vieira, Max Allegri, Nuno Espirito Santo, Mauricio Pochettino and Carlo Ancelotti in their search for a successor for Emery.
Ljungberg, though, will be the first to get the chance to enhance his claims.
The Swede said: ‘I hope the club – I’ve been there for a long time – know what I can do and what I can’t do. I’m looking forward day by day and being very honoured that they’ve trusted me to do this, trying to help the players as much as I can and that’s how I see it.’
