ARSENAL and Germany goalkeeper Jens Lehmann said he was furious at being continually left on the bench in favour of Manuel Almunia.Speaking to German soccer magazine Kicker, Lehmann also described Arsenal`s Champions League exit this week to Barclays Premier League rivals Liverpool as a tragedy for him personally.
"I don`t know what the last weeks (of the season) will bring," Lehmann said. "I wanted to win the (Barclays) Champions League and thought I had a good chance of playing. The fact that I won`t now get that chance makes me furious."
Lehmann played a key role in Arsenal`s 2006 Barclays Champions League run only to be controversially red-carded 18 minutes into the final for bringing down Barcelona`s Samuel Eto`o.
With Almunia in goal, Arsenal`s 10 men took a shock lead but were eventually beaten 2-1 by their Spanish opponents.
Lehmann remained first choice at Arsenal last season but was dropped by coach Arsene Wenger following some glaring mistakes at the start of the current campaign.
He has since played just a couple of league and Barclays Champions League matches only when his Spanish rival was unable to play.
Lehmann said Wenger had promised to recall him if Almunia made mistakes but claimed the promise was broken.
"When I am not playing even though the other keeper is not exactly playing well, then it`s difficult," he said. "I still haven`t been given my place back and I`m being kept out by someone who is playing his first season at a big club.
"I don`t find it very funny to be kept out by someone who is just starting to play at the age of 30. If the trainer had told me the situation before the start of season I could have decided if I wanted to sit on the bench or not."
Lehmann, who turned down a move to Bundesliga team Borussia Dortmund in January, said he had not yet decided if he would retire or seek a new club after Euro 2008 in June.
"If I can get another chance to play in the (Barclays) Champions League, then I will think it over," he said.
Reuters
