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| All
content © New Journal Enterprises, 2005. |
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| Season ends with silver lining |
GUNNERS’ goalie Jens Lehmann may have saved his Highbury
future with his heroics in Saturday’s FA Cup final against
Manchester United.
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger hinted after the Gunners’
narrow penalty shootout victory at Cardiff’s Millennium
Stadium that he is ready to trust the German between the posts
next season.
Lehmann, 35, had an unconvincing season and was replaced halfway
through Arsenal’s topsy-turvy term by reserve keeper
Manuel Almunia.
But, after fighting his way back into Wenger’s preferred
line-up, Lehmann ended the season on a high with an outstanding
performance and a clean sheet in the cup final.
His full-stretch save from Paul Scholes’s spot kick
in the decisive penalty competition effectively handed Arsenal
their third FA Cup success in four seasons.
Wenger – linked with a summer swoop for several goalkeepers
– said afterwards: “Jens looked confident. He
had a good start to the season and has had a good finish to
the season. Normally, next season he will be my first choice.
Jens has responded very well. Since he has come back into
the team, he has done very, very well. He has gained respect
by showing how much he worked when he wasn’t playing
in the team.”
His comments are an important boost for Lehmann, who despite
making it crystal clear that he wants to stay at Highbury
as Wenger’s first choice, has yet to convince Arsenal
fans that he is reliable enough for the pressure job. The
worry for the keeper is a Champions League suspension which
could disrupt his manager’s plans for the opening weeks
of the new season.
Lehmann faces a two match ban after squirting a water bottle
at a linesman as Arsenal crashed out of Europe at the hands
of Bayern Munich earlier this season.
Wenger said: “At the start of the season I can’t
guarantee Jens will be my keeper because he is suspended in
Europe. I’ll have to decide whether I start the season
with him because he is not qualified in the Champions League.”
There was greater encouragement for Sol Campbell, who was
squeezed out of Wenger’s cup final line-up by Philippe
Senderos and on the big day was an unused substitute.
The Arsenal chief insisted Campbell would be back playing
at the heart of the Gunners’ defence next season –
and was only left out of the team because he was unsure the
giant defender had the fitness for the crunch battle with
United. Wenger said: “I love Sol Campbell but I played
him in the past two games and I just felt that he was not
completely ready for 90 minutes. We had lost a few games in
the last 15 or 20 minutes. Having been out for so long, I
felt he would be a bit short, especially for extra time. Sol
will be back at the start of next season in the team.”
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