Almunia to decide when Lehmann leaves

Friday, 19 October 07, 02:10 PM · Comments(1)

The big story ahead of this Saturday’s matchup against Bolton is that Manuel Almunia will keep his place in the team, with Jens Lehmann not even making the bench. Wenger also mentions that he has three world class keepers, and that he can’t please all of them. I know that referring to the occasionally walkabout Almunia and the untested Fabianski as “world class” will cause a few laughs, but we can’t really question Arsene’s judgement, especially after this season’s resurgence.

This will all come as a shock to Jens Lehmann though – he’s been progressively getting more antsy and mouthy, and his latest interview is a bit of a shocker and a challenge to the boss. He claims that his absences have been purely through injury (“Did you seen me sitting on the bench once?”), and that he expects to play from now on. Well, this will come as a shock to his system I’m sure.

Arsene is never one to publicly criticise, but he will not have appreciated Jens’ outburst, and leaving him out of the squad when he’s declared himself fit is a strong reproach. Whilst Almunia hasn’t really convinced or done anything exceptional, he has been solid, and the team have won all 10 games in which he’s played. We must remember that it was Lehmann who lost his own place with his errors in the first two premiership games, and it’s only fair that Almunia has gotten his chance.

We need to show a little patience towards Manuel too – after all, this is his first real run in the team in the 4 seasons that he’s been at Arsenal, and he’s not let anyone down. He’s been getting better over the years, and we won’t really see the best of him until he’s had about 15-17 consecutive games in which to cement his place and feel comfortable.

Jens on the other hand, has been “in decline” for a while. There were several errors from him last season, although he redeemed himself with some stunning saves, but the signs were there, and for many his mistakes this year weren’t that surprising.

It’s going to be a tricky situation though, because Jens has challenged the boss, and the boss has responded. He’s said that Lehmann needs to be patient and win his place back, but the harmony of the squad is now at stake. Jens has already made disrespectful statements towards Almunia, and the more agitated he gets, the worse it will become for the team. He’s also got his Euro 2008 place at stake, and the next few months will be very interesting.

In my opinion, it will all come down to how well Almunia keeps doing. If he starts to make mistakes, then Lehmann will come back into the team and be first-choice till the end of the season. However, if Almunia keeps doing well, then Lehmann will be off in January. Either way, Jens has no future at Arsenal beyond this season.

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Tags: Premier League 08/09, UEFA, The FA, Arsenal, arsene wenger, Jens Lehmann, Lukasz Fabianski, Manuel Almunia

Topics: Premier League 08/09, UEFA, The FA, Arsenal

Posted by SM | Comments (1)

1 Comments · Add yours

bigjuventusfan Wrote: | 15.13UTC | Oct 20, 2007

Lehmann brought this on himself because at the start of the season he was propably the worst keeper in the world! Almunia isn't a class act himself but next to Lehmann he looks pretty good. anyway if
Lehmann leaves I dont see Almunia as becoming number 1 at Arsenal. They would buy another goalie.

Almunia to decide when Lehmann leaves

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