The title is rather self-explanatory. Following Jens Lehmann’s mistakes over the past fortnight or so, one of them crucial in the 1-1 draw with Blackburn, many critics and fans alike have speculated over the capabilities and future of the German number 1 at Arsenal.
Following this criticism I deemed it necessary to take a look at Lehmann’s past performances and determine whether the 38 year old really doesn’t have a short term future at the club or his 3 mistakes in the past fortnight (including the international friendly) were simple errors and won’t become a regular occurrence in his displays.
Whereas his awful miskick against Fulham eventually didn’t cost us, it’s fair to say his mishandling against Blackburn ultimately did and it was this that really made people question his current capabilities. Jens Lehmann has quite a reputation anyway for being a fiery character but in terms of concentration, there are few better goalkeepers in European football.
He doesn’t tend to make a whole lot of mistakes which makes his errors over the last few games all the more surprising. But does that necessarily mean that he is past his best? Who’s to say that he won’t cut out these daft mistakes on his return from injury?
That is what this all comes down to in my opinion. Simple, daft errors. His overall performances without these mistakes have been typical Jens Lehmann. Unfortunately, it is these blunders that get noticed over whatever else he does in a match and something that he needs to eradicate a.s.a.p. With Lehmann being the resilient character he is, I believe that the recent criticism won’t worry him, if anything, it’ll encourage him.
Those people who were quick to criticise Lehmann after the Blackburn game don’t have too much to go on in my opinion. Of course, that’s what it’s all about- opinion, but in his 4 year stay at the club, his infrequent mistakes have been more than overshadowed by his tremendous displays between the sticks.
In my articles I often refer to our 2003/04 unbeaten campaign as it set such a high precedent that is unlikely to be ever repeated. That year, Jens Lehmann was one of the best goalkeepers in Europe and an instrumental part of our team, coming up with countless magnificent saves to maintain our unbeaten run. I’ll always remember the game against Portsmouth at Fratton Park towards the latter stages of the season.
Yakubu was through on goal with only Lehmann to beat and the German made a fantastic block with his legs, prompting Andy Gray to exclaim, "That’s Arsenal’s unbeaten season-right there, at the feet of Jens Lehmann" For me that moment summed the German up, our last line of defence and normally a very reliable last line.
Yes this was two years ago. A lot can change in two years I admit. However, having trawled through those 2 years of Arsenal fixtures, mistakes by Lehmann appear to be very few and far between. This is why it vexes me slightly when critics and fans berated Lehmann and singled him out for criticism after the Blackburn match, instead of supporting him.
To be quite honest, with the ‘fight club’ tactics that Mark Hughes has implemented at Ewood Park and our poor form anyway up north I would have settled for a draw before the game. Sure, it could have been a win without Lehmann’s error but why don’t people look at how poor the team as a whole were in the second half? If we’d had played anywhere near as well as we are capable of, the game would have been out of Blackburn’s reach by the time Lehmann made the error. Would there still have been criticism of him if that had been the case? I doubt it.
So what ought to be the solution with Jens? Would Wenger have maintained his faith in him, hoped that the mistakes were history and Lehmann would return to his generally reliable self? Or would he have taken the hard line with his number one and put Almunia in goal for a period? We’ll never know the answer to these questions as Lehmann is injured for a fortnight.
Personally, if the injury hadn’t occurred, I would have chosen the second option. At this time, I just feel that Jens needs to take time to regain his focus and the injury lay off will do him a whole world of good in the long term. I also feel that should his replacement, Almunia, impress like he did at the weekend during his absence, this could give him further motivation to prove his credentials and ultimately his critics wrong.
So can Almunia impress? For me, the answer is a firm yes. The Spaniard is one of those players that some fans rate highly and others don’t at all. Personally, I don’t think he’s ever had a long enough run in the first team to really prove what a good goalkeeper he is. I must admit, in the early stages of his Arsenal career, I thought he was our answer to Massimo Taibi.
However, since some early shaky performances, he’s put his head down, worked hard to improve and has completely proved me to be impetuous and idiotic to liken him to the infamous Manchester United goalkeeper.. His brief displays last season simply confirmed this vast improvement and I think he could do a more than adequate job in Lehmann’s place.
However, there’s an equally large chance that Wenger will simply recall Lehmann as soon as he’s recovered from his injury. Like the majority of his players, Wenger has the utmost faith in his German number one, sticking up for him when he came under criticism for his fiery personality and also refusing to criticise him after the Blackburn and Fulham games. This could either be blind faith or Wenger could trust Lehmann to forget these mistakes and literally start his season afresh after he recovers from injury.
In conclusion, I feel the best solution has been forced upon Arsenal with Jens being injured for a few games. This should allow him to get his head together and regain the intense focus that he’s renowned for. In the meantime I can imagine Almunia will do a more than admirable job in his place and Lehmann could slowly be re-introduced into the first team again. However, I can’t agree with the numerous Arsenal fans who have heavily criticised Lehmann after the Blackburn game. I’ve heard claims ranging from, ‘drop him for the season’ to ‘get rid of him as soon as possible’.
For me this is a completely fickle attitude to take towards a player who has always given 110% to the Arsenal cause and will continue to do so I’m sure in the short term. I’ll admit, I’ve criticised him in the past-his temperament is still slightly suspect for me but his ability as a goalkeeper is clear for all to see and I feel that the critics should take a leaf out of Wenger’s book by supporting Lehmann and the rest of the team. In a season that is shaping up to promise so much, loyal support is going to be vital for Arsenal FC and it’s up to us to provide it.