Arsenal manager Freddie Ljungberg has confirmed why Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang left the pitch then came back on again during Arsenal’s defeat to Brighton.
Arsenal were left to defend with 10 men for several minutes as Aubameyang left the pitch during their shock 2-1 defeat to the Seagulls, which extended their winless run to nine games in all competitions.
And it emerged after the game at the Emirates that the Gabon striker had bizarrely gone off to answer a call of nature.
But Arsenal’s interim boss Freddie Ljungberg – who was taking charge of his second game after previous boss Unai Emery was sacked last week – has defended Aubameyang.
“He ran off and came back two or three minutes later. If you feel bad you feel bad, it’s nothing you can change,” said Ljungberg.
“I actually didn’t even notice he went off; I just saw him come back on after he’d been off for a couple of minutes,” he added.
Sacking Unai Emery has not changed the form of the misfiring Gunners who have now gone on their worst run since March 1977.
The North London club is 10 points off the Champions League places and only five above the drop zone after a shocking performance against Albion.
Ljungberg, who drew his first match as caretaker boss at Norwich, admitted that the Brighton match was ‘tough’.
“It was tough. We didn’t show up in the first half, didn’t work hard and want to play. The tough part is they looked very short of confidence. They were very scared to get the ball, very scared to move and they were just standing still.
“At half time we said: ‘This is not Arsenal; we have to give it a crack.’ That’s what I want to see from them. Second half we were better but we are suspect on the counter and we have no confidence,” he said.