Joe Willock admits underperforming Arsenal players have to take as much responsibility for the club’s recent struggles as Unai Emery.

A Spanish coach has been the one to pay the price for ongoing inconsistency in north London.

He was ushered through the exits at Emirates Stadium after failing to address the issues which led to the demise of his predecessor, Arsene Wenger.

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Arsenal now find themselves back in the market for a new boss, with Freddie Ljungberg currently overseeing first-team affairs in an interim post.

He was able to get the Gunners back to winning ways last time out, in a derby date with West Ham, but plenty of questions remain.

Willock admits it is up to the players to start addressing those, with the 20-year-old academy graduate telling Sky Sports: “I feel like it was not just the manager (that was underperforming), it was the team as well. We needed to improve as a team and that’s what we tried to do.

“Freddie is good at relating to the players because he’s done it and he’s worn the t-shirt. He knows how it feels to be in our position.

“But I feel like it was more of the team’s fault and we needed to improve.”

Willock saw plenty of game time under Emery at the start of the 2019-20 seasons, with a senior breakthrough being enjoyed after making sporadic appearances in the last two campaigns.

He has remained in favour under Ljungberg, with the Swede having previously worked with the highly-rated midfielder within Arsenal’s youth system.

That familiarity is aiding Willock’s cause, with the England U21 international happy to be working under a coach who knows how to get the best out of him.

He added: “I worked with Freddie last year and he taught me a lot on and off the pitch, like a mentor.

“I’m delighted that he’s in the job now. It’s good for me and I’ll continue working hard and working with him.”

Arsenal will be back in action on Thursday when they take in a Europa League clash with Standard Liege, before then playing host to reigning Premier League champions Manchester City on Sunday.

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