Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Lehman may have to leave Arsenal for first team football !!!

The debate has been thrown into full swing lately after German keeper Jens Lehman claimed he should get the nod to start in goal on Saturday when Arsenal face Bolton. Lehman has been forced to sit out the last few games due to the good form of Manuel Almunia, although he claims he has been injured.

Lehman made two errors at the beginning of the season and coincidentally was dropped. Almunia has been terrific between the posts for the Gunners and many experts believe he will keep his place for the foreseeable future. Lehman kept a clean sheet for Germany against Ireland on Saturday night and after the game he claimed he would be the man starting in goals for Arsenal on Saturday, but I feel he is being a little optimistic.

I've personally never liked Lehman. He is such a dramatist when it comes to contact between him and an attacker. Strangely enough this season he has looked dodgier than ever. He used to be a much solider keeper, but in the games against Fulham and Blackburn and that in turn led to him losing his place in the Arsenal goal.

So who is better Almunia or Lehman? Well from this years form Almunia definitely deserves to carry on in goal for the time being and in my view Lehman should probably look for a move in January because he is 37 now and he only has a year or two left in his carrer and I don't see him getting back ahead of Almunia in the pecking order.