Mistakes are dissected over and over either by fans, TV pundits and even VAR. A poorly timed tackle, a shoddy pass, a critical miss in front of goal cost games and everyone is under the microscope, but surely the role of goal keeper is one of the worst positions to inhabit. It’s easy to go from hero to zero and blame the flappy hands of a keeper who flies off him. You have your own favourite but when you examine the modern era only two names stand out, Jens Lehmann and David Seaman.
But who would you choose in your ultimate lineup ? To help you choose, I’m going to give you their best and worst moments to help you decide.
The Case For David Seaman:
Both keepers have been guilty of errors in their careers and Seaman’s low point was probably against Real Zaragoza in the European Cup winners cup in 1995. The Gunners were tied at 1-1 with seconds to go when Nayim, a former a Spurs player (even worse) spanked a hopeful ball from 45 yards over the head of a flapping Seaman.
By way of contrast, ‘Safe Hands’ produced a save that was equal to Gordon Banks’ effort against Brazil in the 1970 World Cup. David Seaman was playing against Sheffield United in the 2003 FA Cup semi-final, when Paul Peschisolido’s goal bound effort was scooped off the line, one handed by the Arsenal icon diving to his right.
In 344 Premier League appearances, David Seaman kept 140 clean sheets and was England’s number one from 1981-2004 earning 75 caps.
Temperament: Calm
Agility: Quick for a big man.
Reactions: Good to excellent.
Hair cut: Awful.
The Case For Jens Lehmann:
Jens Lehmann’s worst moment in an Arsenal shirt came in 2006 in the Champions League final against Barcelona. He challenged Samuel Eto just outside the area and received a straight red card with just 18 minutes on the clock.
It ended 2-1 to the Catalan giants and was probably Wenger’s biggest regret. If he had won that where would Arsenal be today ? He would have been able to rebuild with substantial funds, instead the standard of the entire team went into decline. That’s not Lehmann’s fault but it was a consequence of that loss.
His best moment was his penalty save against Villarreal’s Juan Roman Riquelmes which resulted in Arsenal reaching the 2006 Champions League final in the first place. The keeper anticipated the direction of the ball and went to ground like someone had shot him.
The German international clocked up 148 appearances which included 54 clean sheets.
Temperament: He liked a row.
Agility:Up there with the best.
Reactions: Good to excellent.
Haircut: Reminds me of my Geography teacher.
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Out of the two, it’s always going to be David Seaman, who is arguably in the company of the homegrown greats such as Shilton, Banks and Jennings.
