Arsenal star Pepe admits Ljungberg ‘tries hard but nothing has changed’ as club bosses move for Arteta
NICOLAS PEPE admitted Freddie Ljungberg “tries hard but nothing has changed” at Arsenal since he took interim charge.
The Gunners have won just once in their last 12 matches – the comeback victory at West Ham.
Ljungberg replaced Unai Emery on a temporary basis and in the rest of his five games at the helm, he has drawn two and lost two.
Arsenal have failed to keep a clean sheet since October 6 and have shipped ten in the Swede’s short tenure, including three at home to Manchester City on Sunday.
And record-signing Pepe said: “Freddie tries hard, he talks to us, but nothing has changed much in terms of results. It is down to us the players, not the coach.
“Freddie is close to us because he used to be a player not long ago. He knows what we feel so it’s easier for us to talk with him. We will continue to work hard to make things better and win again.
“Us players have to do better quickly. We have won only one game out of the last 12. It is not enough, we are Arsenal.
“It is about us, not the coach or anything else. We have to wake up quickly, starting against Everton.”
Follow our ARSENAL LIVE BLOG as the Gunners hunt for Emery’s replacement
Arsenal are still yet to appoint a replacement for Emery who was given the boot on November 29, 17 days ago.
The club look set to appoint Mikel Arteta as the new boss after talks late into the early hours of Monday morning.
But Pepe believes the uncertainty is not having an effect on the squad as they continue to try and finish inside the top four.
He added: “We are not disturbed by the managerial situation.
“I had a similar situation in Lille and we kept going. With hard work, it will get better with Freddie or someone else.
“Against a team like Manchester City we have to be aggressive. We have to be solid in the duels and second balls. We were not for 30 minutes and they scored three times.
Latest Arsenal news
“We tried to correct our mistakes after the break. We stayed solid, united and tried to create chances. We will do everything to make it good for the next game.
“We understand the fans. After conceding three goals, they are not happy. They are Arsenal fans, they are used to winning.
“We need to give them the taste of victory again. We have big games coming up. We need to keep working so we can get this fourth place.”