Arsenal sack Emery: Gunners players didn't know their jobs, says Parlour

Former Arsenal midfielder Ray Parlour was not surprised to see Unai Emery sacked as head coach as he believes the players did not understand their roles under the Spaniard.

Emery was dismissed on Friday, less than 12 hours on from the Gunners' 2-1 Europa League defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt in front of a sparse Emirates Stadium crowd.

Arsenal fans had grown increasingly frustrated with displays under Emery, who oversaw only one win in nine matches in all competitions prior to his dismissal.

Parlour, a three-time Premier League winner with the London club, felt the Frankfurt loss was "the final straw" when it came to the under-fire head coach's future.

"I'm not surprised," he said on talkSPORT. "I think that was the final straw last night, boos at the end, the performance again... it's been coming, and you could sense the crowd turning on the manager.

"You look at his tactics – the players don't seem to know what their jobs are. Southampton could have gone and won there; Wolves should have won – they had 24 shots on target. They get a lead and they don't know how to defend it.

"Even going back to the Europa League final last season in Baku, I know [Eden] Hazard turned it on, but I looked at the players and I was amazed with how they were playing, especially in the first half.

"It was up to Arsenal to win to get in the Champions League as Chelsea were already in there and I didn't see a performance out of anybody."

Freddie Ljungberg has been confirmed as interim head coach and will take charge of Sunday's league game away to Norwich City.

Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo, former Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri and even Mauricio Pochettino, sacked by Tottenham this month, have all been linked with the permanent Arsenal job.

Parlour would like to see former team-mate Patrick Vieira to take the job, although he admits it would be "a gamble" to put the ex-captain in charge.

"Allegri has been linked. Would he want to go to Arsenal? I don't know," said Parlour. "[Mikel] Arteta and Rafa Benitez have been linked.

"I said I want Patrick Viera, but he's gone down the pecking order. He's a young manager, a gamble."