FOOTBALL
Ljungberg prepared for sour Emirates Stadium atmosphere as Arsenal host Man City
Freddie Ljungberg admitted Arsenal must be ready for a backlash from their own fans in Sunday's Premier League game against Manchester City.
The Gunners were booed off after a dispiriting 2-1 loss to Brighton and Hove Albion in their last Emirates Stadium appearance.
Hector Bellerin insisted the team had given "100 per cent" but another poor result against champions City will only add to the sense of discontent in north London.
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"It's the right of the fans to be this way," said interim boss Ljungberg.
"Of course I want them to be with us and I know how much it means to the players, and I can see sometimes when it happens they can go a little bit down.
"But that's something I will talk to them about. They already know about it but I will try to prepare them for if and when it happens.
"But I think when we play City at home, the fans know it will be a very tough game and will be with us regardless.
"I want to make sure I respect the decisions and voice of the fans. In my opinion they are the club and we try to do the best we can for them. We try to respect them and make them know we are doing this.
"I hope they have seen that in the last fortnight."
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) December 15, 2019
Arsenal triumphed 3-1 at West Ham on Monday but have not won a Premier League home game since the narrow 1-0 victory over Bournemouth in early October.
Unai Emery lost his job on November 29 and club chiefs are still considering potential successors, with Ljungberg now set to oversee his fifth match.
The Swede warned there was no quick fix to the malaise.
"I am a fan, too, and I want Arsenal back winning trophies, but as I say this won't happen overnight," he said.
"Of course, there are things to fix now and that we can do better. I have a list of about 10 to 15 things we need to urgently get right, but you can't do all those things at once."
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