FREDDIE LJUNGBERG fears Arsenal may struggle for years to reach the same level as under icon Arsene Wenger.
The Swede takes his troops to West Ham tomorrow on their worst run of form for 42 years.
Freddie Ljungberg (right) fears it could take years for Arsenal to reach the same level of success as they did under Arsene WengerCredit: Getty
He was brought in as an interim boss following the sacking of Spaniard Unai Emery.
Frenchman Wenger, who arrived in 1996, transformed the club for more than two decades, guiding them to three league titles and five FA Cup victories.
Yet Ljungberg has warned it will take considerable time for everyone to return to the same heady heights.
Ljungberg, 42, said: “Everyone wants to win things here. This is the club I have in my mind.
“But it has been a couple of tough years. When Sir Alex Ferguson left United, it took them a long time to recover.
“Arsene had been for 22 years. So it will be tough. I think everyone knew that. And it has shown it will be.”
Ljungberg had planned to speak with Wenger on the telephone yesterday (Saturday) for some words of wisdom.
He says he has not yet spoken with the owners about his future and is working on a game-by-game basis as they look for a full-time replacement.
Ljungberg watched his side lose 2-1 to Brighton at the Emirates on Thursday and slip further away from a potential top-four finish.
But he reckons they must use the resolve of the Invincibles from 2003-04 as their inspiration to battle back.
Ljungberg said: “It is frustrating to lose games. We haven’t won for a long, long time.
“The players are low, and we need to try to get going.
“When we were the Invincibles, we lost at Manchester United away after 49 games unbeaten. It wasn’t fair because we didn’t agree with the ref’s decisions on that day.
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“After that we didn’t win a few games in a row and our confidence went straight down.
“There was one game where we were losing to Everton in the League Cup.
“But at half-time the players got together with Arsene, and we came out fighting in the second half and won 3-1.
“That was the turning point for us. So we all have to stick together and when you are low, find that power, change that momentum and go again.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
