Lehmann No Lock in Goal

Jens Lehmann was in Bonn on Tuesday to cement his place in German sports history. The 37-year-old keeper was on hand as that city's House of History museum received the page of notes he used to save two penalties in Germany's dramatic quarterfinal win over Argentina in last year's World Cup.

It was a moment of confirmation and satisfaction for a keeper who used to play second fiddle in his national side and who is Germany's clear number one ahead of the European Soccer Championship next year in Austria and Switzerland.

But Lehmann still has work to do, if he wants a chance to crown his career with an international title for Germany. To maintain his status in the national side, he first has to do the same with the club he plays for on a weekly basis, Arsenal, who are coming off a year with no titles.

"We had a very disappointing season," Lehmann acknowledged to DW-RADIO. "Normally we were always involved in the finals at the end of the season."

Those sentiments have been seconded by Arsenal fans, many of whom believe the club needs a major shake-up. And some think the place to start is in goal.

Gooners Having a Go at "Mad Jens"

Although Lehmann anchored Arsenal's unprecedented unbeaten 2003-4 season in the Premiership and led them to the Champions League final in 2006, club supporters are becoming increasingly critical of their number one. Indeed, some seem never to have forgiven him for picking up a red card in that final match against Barcelona, which Arsenal lost 2-1.

The German's periodic bursts of temper have earned him the nicknames "Mad Jens" and "Looney Lehmann" from fans whose own mental stability is reflected by the fact that they refer to themselves as "Gooners."

Moreover, Arsenal refused to offer Lehmann anything more than a one-year contract in the off-season, and the club's first signing this summer was Polish keeper Lukasz Fabianski -- hardly signs of abiding faith in Lehmann's abilities.

In the wake of that acquisition, some Gooners have called for the German to be replaced. "Lehmann," opined one blogger on the BBC's website after the Fabianski signing was announced, "has shown increasingly last season he cannot be trusted to play for the team when he is distracting the defence with his stupid antics."

Gunners fans also rushed to youtube to check out Fabianski's skills for themselves. Most were impressed, with one of them commenting, succinctly: " Lehman OUT, Fabianski IN, Come ON ARSENAL."

Last Time Around?

Gunners coach Arsene Wenger is unlikely to put much stock in the ranting of often hysterical fans, but he does want to win some silverware. Should Lehmann make a couple of costly blunders early next season, Wenger might decide to bench him in favor of Fabianski or Arsenal's other backup, Manuel Almunia.

If that hypothetical situation came to pass, it would be hard for German national coach Joachim Löw to justify starting Lehmann ahead of Germany's host of other great keepers.

There are also questions about Lehmann's age, with even the keeper himself unclear as to whether he will extend his career beyond 2008. "Everybody's spreading rumors, and I'm doing the same, " Lehmann told DW-RADIO, "So I really don't know."

A year is a long time in soccer, as Lehmann is obviously aware. So while the Arsenal keeper looks a good bet to be minding the posts for Germany at the Euro 2008, he is not, by any means, a sure thing.