Jens Lehmann reckons psychological warfare with Arsene Wenger brought the best out of him.
Wenger pressure fires up Gunners stopper
Arsenal keeper Jens Lehmann reckons psychological warfare with Arsene Wenger brings the best out of him.
Now the veteran star wants to resume the battle as he looks to displace rival Manuel Almunia as Wenger's No.1.
The 41-year-old, who returned to the Emirates after being handed a shock short-term deal, said the watchful eye of Wenger put him under intense pressure during his first spell at the Gunners.
But he insisted he would not have it any other way, telling
News of the World: "I always knew that Wenger was very watchful of the age of players.
Reaction
"When he recruited me I was 33 and I knew that when I made a mistake he didn't say 'Oops he made a mistake, I'll put him on the bench' but rather 'Ahh he's too old'.
"That was his first reaction.
"I knew he expected me to be perfect in every game.
"Without saying a word I felt it. When I arrived in England I made an error because I was in the habit in Germany of asking players to hit shots at me at the end of training.
War
"At Arsenal, where I contributed to setting up this little game, I felt Wenger's presence behind my goal.
"Each shot that I let in I knew he was frowning and saying to himself 'He should have stopped that one'.
"It's the kind of thing that puts you under pressure.
"Even if I did make mistakes I never played so many good matches as when I was with Arsenal.
"Wenger got the best out of me. It was a kind of a psychological war but it was good."
