I WANTED to ask them a question about Jens Lehmann.
On Thursday morning the girls from ZDF filmed me in the garden. Big German TV station, big camera, big tripod, big microphone. With the sun in my eyes, I sat on a white wooden bench and answered questions about Lehmann and Oliver Kahn
This story is hot news every day in Germany and their head office in Berlin had read ANR.
Apparently, Kahn dropped a couple of clangers in Bayern Munich’s game at the weekend.And he says if he is not Klinsmann’s No 1 keeper he’ll refuse to be in the World Cup squad.
I said, “We had a similar problem in England with Peter Shilton and Ray Clemence and manager Ron Greenwood alternated them to keep both happy. But I didn’t think that was satisfactory and I certainly don’t think Klinsmann should do that. The best goalkeeper is the one who makes the fewest mistakes.”
I talked about some other stuff, saying that Lehmann enjoys the atmosphere in the squad over here. He had described being caught in heavy traffic one night and arriving late at Highbury for a game against Aston Villa. If you do this at a German club you’re treated as a criminal, but when he rushed into the dressing room the other players just said, “Relax!”
I noted that Lehmann has definitely improved since he’s been at Arsenal.
Asked about his performance in Turin, I said, “Like all good Germans, he does his homework. He knew before the game that Nedved would have three or four rocket shots from 25 yards. A couple will fly over the bar. When one came at him he had to be strong, get everything behind it, and block the ball, which he did very well. He knew that was gonna happen before the game started and he was ready for it.”
If Lehmann is not the No.1 for Germany, would he sulk and walk out ?
“Of course not, he’s a total professional. He’ll train and behave and be ready for when his country calls on him.”
Then we came inside and I made a pot of tea and poured four cups and we sat in the dining room. Hilary marvelled at how Arsene Wenger handled a press conference with 18 camera crews and different people shouting out their questions. She said he answered everything calmly. Which I knew, of course.
I told the girls my philosophy : Realise that life is divided into phases, and do what is expected of you in each phase. Then their cab arrived and they zoomed back to their office in Westminster. If England meet Germany in the World Cup, and Lehmann is playing, maybe they’ll come back.
After they’d gone I remembered that I had wanted to ask them about the “apple polisher” comment that Lehmann had apparently made when he joined Arsenal in July 2003.
When asked about explosive confrontrations in his career, he said. “If I feel like I am being treated unfairly, I will insist on my opinion. I am not an apple polisher who says that things are not that bad in order to make everyone calm down.”
AFTER FIELDING a few phone calls I had lunch and went to the gym and saw Kevin, one of the young trainers, who is an Arsenal fan. He took his sports science degree at the college across the road from Ashburton Grove.
“Did you watch the game?” I said.
“Yeah.”
“Were you worried at any time?”
“No, not really,” he said.
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UPDATE : Friday 2 pm.
Jurgen Klinsmann told Kahn today that Lehmann is his World Cup goalkeeper. He must have seen my interview.