Arsenal: Jens Lehmann Has Perfect Vantage Point On Judgment

Hamburg, Deutschland, 08.10.2016, WM-Qualifikation 2017, Deutschland - Tschechische Republik, RTL Experte Jens Lehmann (Photo by TF-Images/Getty Images)
Hamburg, Deutschland, 08.10.2016, WM-Qualifikation 2017, Deutschland - Tschechische Republik, RTL Experte Jens Lehmann (Photo by TF-Images/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Arsenal Invincible Jens Lehmann has weighed in on the pouty faces of Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez and he could not be more spot on.

Arsenal simply does not have a leader right now. Every player that pretends to be one has his own let downs in what could be titled mental slip ups. And naturally, everyone and their sister has an opinion on this.

Related Story: Arsenal's Potential Starting XI Under Max Allegri

Jens Lehmann is included, but his opinion is different from the rest. Mostly because he is spot on. Then again, it’s hard not to be when you have the perfect vantage point on everything.

Lehmann was an interesting character. He was the keeper in the Invincible season, but aside from that, he had his troubles. And yet, through all of that, he was outspoken, a leader in training and he never, ever sulked.

And this was a new home for him. He wasn’t born and bred Arsenal. He was a quick fix.

Lehmann has gone so far as to deem the two current Arsenal superstars as not top players due to this mental fragility they both exhibit. Here are his words:

They talk about Sanchez being a big player — but if you are sulking, you can’t be a big player,” Lehmann said, via The Sun. “You must be a big player mentally — not just be good at dribbling. There’s always a question with Ozil — how much can he contribute when it gets tough?”

He went on to speak about his countryman, Shkodran Mustafi, although in a better light (although that’s not saying much):

More from Pain in the Arsenal

“It’s not Mustafi’s fault someone has paid £35m for him. If someone buys me for £35m, the next day I’m not a better player. He is giving everything. But sometimes the team concede five, so he has to ask himself if it’s good enough?”

I feel like this is what Arsene Wenger needs to be telling these two. It seems so simple, yet it is clearly the one thing that consistently avoids the Gunners – mental bigness, for lack of a better word.

Mustafi probably has the most mental bigness of anyone out there and it’s actually kind of reminiscent of Lehmann himself. And while Lehmann has criticized Mustafi for his play on the field, there is some veiled praise in there as well, admitting that he is indeed giving everything.

Thankfully, Mustafi is young and can grow into an elevated role at the Emirates. Meanwhile, Alexis and Ozil are pushing for the door.

Next: 10 Reasons Wenger's One More Year Makes Sense

Lehmann is just another Invincible who has fantastic things to say. Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira and Gilberto Silva have all weighed in with good advice, but it doesn’t feel like anyone is listening.