Jens Lehmann, former Schalke, Borussia Dortmund and Arsenal goalkeeper, discusses Der Klassiker, Christian Pulisic and the future of Arsene Wenger.
The Bundesliga title race has appeared over for most of the calendar year, as Bayern Munich extended their lead at the top of the table to as many as 13 points. But a midweek loss to Hoffenheim allowed RB Leipzig to pull within 10 points, and with Der Klassiker coming up this weekend, a game Bayern will play without Manuel Neuer and Thomas Muller, the chasing pack have the smallest glimmer of opportunity for the first time in months.
Ahead of the match, I spoke on the phone to former Schalke, Borussia Dortmund and Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann, who’s in the U.S. promoting Bundesliga Goalmania, one of the busiest stretches of the German league season.
“Goalmania’s a great slogan because the German Bundesliga right now is offering three matchdays in 10 days, and already in the first one we’ve seen 36 goals,” Lehmann said. “The attendance in the Bundesliga is not only that big because of the score lines. I think right now we are the biggest score line or the highest score line across the most important leagues in Europe.”
The biggest of the matches over these 10 days is Der Klassiker, which takes place at the Allianz Arena in Munich on Saturday (12:30 p.m. ET, FS1). The game may not be as high-stakes as many Klassikers past given Bayern’s lead in the table, but there’s still plenty to look forward to.
“It’s a fantastic game … the best team is competing against one of the best teams in Germany with Borussia Dortmund, and Borussia Dortmund they have won the first leg [Dortmund beat Bayern 1-0 in the first match between the sides back in November] and they know how to beat Bayern Munich,” Lehmann said. “Bayern Munich are a little under pressure because they lost the last game against Hoffenheim, and the players from Bayern they’re always up for a good fight because they know they’re facing probably their last one or two years together because this team came to age … and a young team like Borussia Dortmund want to show that they can beat experienced stars from Bayern Munich.”
Does Lehmann think there’s any possibility Bayern will let their lead slip?
“Always chances, but I don’t think the likeliness is high because as I said before, they’re quite mature and experienced players,” he said. “They know what to do to get results and the excitement there at the top of the table is not that big anymore, not only due to Bayern, because they’re so strong, but some other traditional teams like Schalke, like Bayer Leverkusen, or Borussia Dortmund with a gap of 13 or 14 points. These teams are not performing as they’re supposed to do.”
The match also comes with huge Champions League quarterfinals looming for both teams. Dortmund face Monaco at home on Tuesday, while Bayern welcome Real Madrid to the Allianz Arena on Wednesday.
“As a football fan, every quarterfinal excites me,” Lehmann said. “You know you have to perform for 180 minutes. You can’t afford to let go for only 10 minutes. The prospect of a possible penalty shootout is fantastic, which keeps every football fan’s attention to these games. I’m looking forward to it. Understanding that, they have a game, a big game in the Bundesliga and both teams like to win these games.
“They don’t want to get injured, but normally when you think so, and you don’t go into situations like you normally do, you get injured. As a player, you have to take every game like it comes and then focus on the next one.”
The Goalmania event comes with Bundesliga growing in popularity in the U.S., with games now available on Fox Sports and a clutch of American players making names for themselves in Germany.
“My impression is that it’s still young there [the U.S.],” Lehmann said when asked about the differences between soccer in the U.S. and Germany. “People are probably not really used to watching soccer and now more and more children are playing soccer. It’s a good sport, it’s played outside, it’s about team spirit, it’s about individuality combined with good camaraderie on the pitch and these ingredients actually are widespread in Europe and across Europe since ages and that’s probably a little historic advantage of German football or European football. People are so much used to it and there’s so many great experiences with that sport and so many good memories, and that’s about to come in the U.S.”
As for the U.S.’s most exciting current export, Christian Pulisic, Lehmann was full of praise.
“Oh, Christian Pulisic is a fantastic player to watch,” he said. “Considering his age, he seems to play without pressure, he makes difficult things look easy, which is a great quality, and he hopefully will be a great prospect and a great benefit to Dortmund and he’ll stay there for a long time because we really enjoy seeing him playing in the Bundesliga.”
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Lehmann is perhaps best known, outside of Germany at least, for the five seasons he spent under Arsene Wenger at Arsenal. With Wenger under increasing pressure, and set to announce a decision on his future soon, I asked Lehmann what he made of the situation, and what he expects to happen next.
“Arsene Wenger’s a very intelligent man who likes to take on challenges and pressure and competition, so I’m convinced that he will stay next season,” he said.
“At the end of the day, you have to respect fans opinions, but you have to make decisions, or the club has to make the decisions, because no fan will tell you what to do after. If Superman comes in, ok, but there’s no Superman right now. I think Arsene Wenger’s a very intelligent man and he’s a fantastic representative for the club and I don’t see anybody who could replace him right now.”