Jens Lehmann has claimed Arsenal are simply "too cautious" to win trophies and slammed Mikel Arteta for choosing David Raya over Aaron Ramsdale.
Article continues below
Article continues below
Article continues below
Arsenal vying for the Premier League titleLehmann not confident about their potentialDisappointed with how they went down in the UCLWHAT HAPPENED?
The Gunners' resurgence this season has been notable, with their improved performance placing them at the top of the Premier League standings, albeit after playing a match more than rivals Manchester City. However, the Gunners' challenge fell short in Europe following a disappointing exit from the Champions League at the hands of Bayern Munich in the quarter-final stage. This leaves the Premier League title as their sole potential silverware opportunity left for Arsenal, but Lehmann is not confident that the current squad have what it takes to conquer England.
Advertisement(C)Getty ImagesWHAT LEHMANN SAID
Former Germany goalkeeper Lehmann, who played for Arsenal between 2003 and 2008 and was part of their Invincibles squad, pointed out the key difference between the current squad and the history-making one helmed by Arsene Wenger, as he told "They're very different to us (Invincibles) in their approach – much more cautious and slower with the ball. Physically, they run a lot more and have more high-intensity runs but they don't play faster than us because we were a one-touch team.
"They all take three, four touches at a time. And if you're too cautious in football, you can't win trophies. Most of the time, the bravest teams win the league. I would love them to win the title but that has cost them in certain games. It's 20 years since we won the league and I hope Arsenal win but it's not in their own hands anymore and that's a weakness."
The former shot-stopper is also disappointed with how Arsenal bowed out of Europe.
"I was very disappointed with how they lost to Bayern Munich in the Champions League," he said.
"Afterwards, they showed a great reaction beating Chelsea and Tottenham. But to be a big club, you have to win trophies. He's (Mikel Arteta's) done a good job but unfortunately, you're talking to a guy who loves Arsenal, wants them to win and not just to be up there."
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Lehmann's criticism extended to Arteta's decision to replace Ramsdale with Raya earlier in the season. He questioned the logic behind prioritising a relatively inexperienced goalkeeper from Brentford over Ramsdale, a promising English talent.
"I never ever understood the (Aaron) Ramsdale decision," he said bluntly.
"If you have a good, brave English keeper at a big English club doing well and then you bring in a Spanish guy who's never played for a big club at that level – it just doesn't make sense. The keeper is the most important position in the team. If I were Ramsdale, I don't know how I would react because it's not easy at that age. When you're older, it's different."
GettyWHAT NEXT FOR ARSENAL?
As the Gunners strive to maintain their position at the top of the league standings, they will face Bournemouth at home on Saturday followed by a trip to Old Trafford to take on Manchester United on May 12 before wrapping up their campaign against Everton a week later.