Is this the end for Jens?
| 6
|
During the openning weekend of the Premier League a horrible mistake by Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann gifted Fulham the early lead. This past weekend another gaffe left Arsenal with only one point from their match against Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park. So the question comes up, is this the end of the line for Jens Lehmann?
Given his less than spectacular start to the season it does raise questions. First off his age, 38. Goalkeepers usually mature slower than out field players and last longer in the game. However, at some point a goalkeepers age does start to reflect in his performance. These two mistakes could be indicative of a slip in his playing level. I will say that for most of the Blackburn match I was quite pleased with his performance. Also given that the shot that eluded him in the Blackburn match was a blast, but for a goalkeeper that is on top of his game that should have been a bread and butter save. For the Fulham match, his teammates were able to rescue the game and get all 3 points while at Ewood Park Arsenal had to share the points. With that in mind, it has happened that sometimes goalkeepers sometime stay in the game a little past their overdue date, David Seaman is an example of that, and I would hate to see that happen to Jens.
Perhaps only two matches into a young season is a bit too early to rush to judgement on the form of Jens Lehmann. It is the job of the boss, Arsene Wenger, to make this decision and hopefully he makes the timely and correct one. So, for the time being I think Jens will stay as the first choice goalkeeper for Arsenal but with his leash kept somewhat short. If his form does continue to slip, a little time on the bench may help, it did in the past.
