Lehmann 'humiliation' at Arsenal snub
Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann has warned coach Arsene Wenger not to "humiliate" him by continuing to omit him from the Gunners line-up.
The 37-year-old has not played for the north London outfit since making a mistake against Blackburn on August 19, and vented his anger in an interview with German pay-tv station Premiere, which will be aired during Tuesday night's Champions League programme.
"It could be that at some point I feel like commenting on the whole issue," he said. "But right at the moment I just accept everything as part of the humiliation. You have to let it happen. But I think - and this is directed towards my dear coach - that you should not humiliate players for too long. I am an Arsenal player and I will not just fade away quietly."
Spaniard Manuel Almunia has been Wenger's first-choice stopper since Lehmann's mistake, with Poland international Lukasz Fabianski preferred on the bench recently.
Lehmann has remained Germany's number one under Joachim Low, however, and kept a clean sheet in the Euro 2008 qualifier against Republic of Ireland earlier this month.
"The disadvantage from the game against Ireland is that my coach now knows that he has a keeper who can produce a pretty good game out of nowhere and without match practice," Lehmann continued. "He could not ask for a better keeper on the bench.
"I am convinced I will soon be playing again. Almunia hasn't shown that he can win us matches just yet. I have been through this situation once and know how the other keeper is situated mentally. I can't imagine he will handle this.
"Wenger has spoken of three world-class goalies. I guess I must be one of them. The others have proven their class by winning titles? I'm just thinking about it, and I can't recall any. But yet today they are considered world class."
