LJUNGBERG ARGUES GUNNERS CAN MAKE TOP FOUR

FREDDIE LJUNGBERG insists Arsenal can recover from their worst start to a league campaign since 1975 to make the top four. Two Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang equalisers rescued a point at Carrow Road after Teemu Pukki and Todd Cantwell edged Norwich ahead twice. Following the dismissal of Unai Emery on Friday, interim-manager Ljungberg had little time to rectify Arsenal’s problems. And he saw them punished for familiar defensive failings, highlighting their vulnerability on the counter as ‘the problem I think everybody can see’ but insisting it is ‘easy’ for a coach to resolve. A sixth successive league game without a win, though, left the Gunners in eighth place, seven points off the top four — the same gap between the north Londoners and the bottom three. Ljungberg said: ‘One hundred per cent, (Arsenal can still make the top four). Teams drop points here and there. They drop points, we drop points. It’s a bit of a crazy league and I think that Arsenal can get back to the top four.’ They have a long list of potential managerial 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 to Emery. Ljungberg, though, will be the first to get the chance to enhance his claims. ‘I hope the club — I’ve been there for a long time — know what I can do and what I can’t do,’ said the Swede. ‘I’m 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.’ After Pukki opened the scoring with his first Norwich goal since mid-September, Arsenal were gifted a route back into the game when Christoph Zimmermann conceded a penalty for handball.

Aubameyang’s first effort was saved but the Arsenal striker scored a retake after Norwich were penalised for encroachment by right-back Max Aarons, who cleared the ball following goalkeeper Tim Krul’s stop. Norwich head coach Daniel Farke complained: ‘I see advantages in VAR but the referee’s decisions and the VAR decisions were against us. ‘Each 50-50 decision was given against us. Every throw-in, corner and free-kick. ‘It was never a free-kick that led to penalty. Even the fourth official said it was just a throw-in. ‘The penalty was probably right but it was strange to replay it. Several Arsenal players were already in the box.’