With Christmas on the way we are entering a time for peace, love and goodwill to all men and amazingly, if you check your holy book, that doesn’t exclude mardy goalkeeper Jens Lehmann – much touch in Manuel Almunia’s disgust.
So, could Lehmann being getting the present of a first team place before the festive season has even properly begun? Arsene says: maybe.
“We are still in November. November and December is plenty of time to win his place back. He is up for the challenge because he is 200% professional.”
That’s 200% professional in the ‘ slagging off your teammates and manager to the press’sense of the phrase, then?
“Jens wants to play because he thinks he is the best keeper. It makes it worse to put him in and out again. He has done nothing wrong. Almunia has been in the team and the team is doing well. It is as simple as that.”
Wenger also conveniently forgot to mention that Lehmann has done something wrong, almost cost them points at home to Fulham and definitely cost them points at Blackburn. And that’s why we can’t (and don’t want to) see him returning to the Arsenal team anytime soon. That and the fact that it is funny watching him suffer and complain like a spoiled child.