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ARSENAL: Euro 2008 Week: 'Lehmann is the safest bet'

/noticias.info/ Jens Lehmann (Germany)
Euro 2008 - Group C
(G'many, Austria, Poland, Croatia)

Arsenal.com is turning its attention to Euro 2008. Seven of Arsène Wenger’s squad are in Austria and Switzerland and we asked a reporter from each country to assess the fortunes of each representative.

Here’s Raphael Honigstein, a journalist for German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung, on departing Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann.

What is the perception of Lehmann in Germany?
"I think that the key year for Jens was 2005/06 when he had this amazing run all the way to the Champions League Final with Arsenal, playing really good football. At the same time he managed to displace Oliver Kahn in the Germany goal. That was a turning point for him and since then he's been able to hold on to that position even though he hasn't had a good season with Arsenal. It has surprised a few people but the thinking from [Germany coach] Joachim Low is that, despite Jens not playing a lot of games, he is still the safest bet out there and he has done rather well when he has played for Germany. So they are sticking with him, but I think there is more pressure on Jens this summer simply because of the season leading up to it."

Who are the other contenders for the No 1 shirt?
"Low picked Robert Enke as his No 2 and surprisingly left out Timo Hildebrand, the Valencia keeper, he hasn't made the squad at all. The third keeper is an up and coming guy called Rene Adler from Leverkusen who is seen as the heir apparent when Lehmann retires from the national squad. That is not a given of course, Jens has talked about making it to the World Cup in 2010. Perhaps it sounded a little flippant but Jens is very serious about these things and I think he has it in his head that he could make it to South Africa."

What role did Lehmann play in qualifying?
"He missed the odd game through injury, there were a couple of injuries that he picked up at the same time that he lost his place at Arsenal, but he is still Germany's No 1."

How do you expect Lehmann and Germany to fare at Euro 2008?
"I think the draw is almost ridiculously easy for Germany and I don't just mean the group. I've called it the 'Group of Life' - as opposed to the 'Group of Death' with Italy, France and Holland - but the way the knockout draw has worked also favours Germany. They will never meet the likes of France, Italy, Holland or Spain until the Final. The only serious opposition you can see are Croatia and Portugal. It's very straightforward for Germany and I think it would almost be a surprise if they didn't reach the Final in Vienna."

How much have Germany improved since the 2006 World Cup?
"The squad is two years older and better as well. I think Low has taken the Jurgen Klinsmann formula for attacking football and turned it into something a bit more stable, a bit more balanced. The emphasis is still on going forward but the team seems a lot more coherent. They seem to switch from attack to defence much better and, if anything, they have surprised people with how well they have played since the World Cup, despite missing some important players for very long periods. Ballack was out for nearly a year, Torsten Frings was out for nearly as long, Podolski and Schweinsteiger have been completely out of form and Klose has not had a good two years. But despite these individual problems, collectively Germany seem to play better which is a testament to the manager. He has got the most out of his players and has imposed a system that works almost irregardless of who plays at which time. They have made changes because of the injuries but it didn't seem to have any negative effect at all."

Could Lehmann repeat his World Cup shoot-out heroics?
"The interesting thing would be whether Jens would pull out another little note [with information on opposition penalty takers] like he did against Argentina in the World Cup. I wouldn't mind seeing him up against Cristiano Ronaldo in the Semi-Final, that would be very entertaining. I think Germany as a whole, and Lehmann would sign up to this, are more stable and better organised defensively. In 2006 one of the main reasons for picking Jens was because he almost doubled up as an extra defender, simply by the way he likes to play the ball with his feet, the way he controls his area, the way he organises the back four. This year the back four are a little bit older, wiser and more mature, so Jens can concentrate on his own game a bit more. And I think he'll have to simply because of a lack of match practice and perhaps increased scrutiny with Heinke and Adler who will be looking to come in." notas_de_prensa_archivo