Freddie Ljungberg's first Arsenal address to players after replacing Unai Emery

The new interim boss took charge of training immediately after Unai Emery's sacking on Friday, but wasted no time in trying to galvanise his troops to turn their season around

Freddie Ljungberg has told the Arsenal players they can still reach the top four after a dramatic morning at the club’s training ground.

Ljungberg gave a rallying cry to the players after Unai Emery was sacked this morning and the Arsenal legend then took training ahead of Sunday’s trip to Norwich.

Former Sweden midfielder Ljungberg tried to lift the mood after Emery’s departure and a run of seven games without a win left Arsenal eight points outside of the Champions League places.

But Ljungberg’s first message was to tell the players they have enough time and quality within the squad to make it.

Ljungberg will also appoint his own coaching team, although it may not be ex-first team coach Steve Bould who now works with the club’s under-23s.

And despite bizarre reports, Ljungberg does have all his necessary coaching badges and Arsenal are baffled as to where that rumour came from as he is a respected youth coach and would not have got this far without qualifications.

Arsenal are hoping that Ljungberg can lift the mood after Emery’s final weeks in charge left the club flat, the team in disarray and also doom at the training ground.

There had been ongoing concern about results but also performances and the hierarchy organised a meeting in the United States with owner Stan Kroenke and his director son Josh last Monday, just 48 hours after the Southampton game.

It was ultimately at that meeting that Arsenal decided to sack Emery - and then it was just a matter of timing as to when they would pull the trigger.

Head of football Raul Sanllehi and managing director Vinai Venkatesham flew to the States on Monday for the crunch meeting.

But they wanted to be respectful to Emery, wanted to give Ljungberg time to get himself ready and then Arsenal lost to Eintracht Frankfurt and they took the decision overnight to axe him immediately.

Emery reported up to the club’s London Colney training ground where he had a short meeting with Sanllehi who broke the news, before being joined by technical director Edu and Venkatesham.

They then spoke to Emery’s coaches and it is understood the Spaniard was respectful, understood the decision and said goodbye to staff, even hugging those that he had worked closely with. There seemed to be an acceptance that it just had not worked out.

Then when all of the players reported up, they were called into a dressing room and Sanllehi addressed the group to explain the decision in a meeting which lasted roughly ten minutes. Edu joined shortly afterwards to issue a rallying cry before Ljungberg then took over.

It was Ljungberg who took the session this morning and the feeling is that he will immediately have the respect of the players.

Arsenal will begin the process of finding a successor with Wolves boss Nuno, Carlo Ancelotti and Max Allegri among those touted.

But Arsenal’s attitude is that Ljungberg has a genuine chance and, if he can emulate what Frank Lampard has done at Chelsea , then he could get the job permanently.