Jens in the driving seat

JUST as we say about love and marriage, Jens Lehmann and controversy seem to go together like a horse and carriage — not least when the Arsenal goalkeeper swaps his club jersey for that of his country.

For years, the big man engaged in a bitter duel with Bayern Munich’s Oliver Kahn, the animosity between the two pouring out into the public domain time and time again.

That poisonous relationship finally came to an end this summer when Kahn took his leave of international football after a World Cup where Lehmann had finally managed to push past his old rival. Eventually they kissed and made up during the tournament itself.

Not happy with taking on and conquering a national institution like Kahn, Lehmann has since taken on an ACTUAL institution in the form of the Deutscher Fussball-Bund, the German FA.

And, just like he did with Kahn, he emerged victorious from this contest too.

It all began prior to the summer extravaganza when Lehmann complained about contract obligations that stipulated all German players wear adidas boots while on international duty.

A Nike man, Lehmann eventually relented and wore the boots but the issue resurfaced before the friendly with Sweden two weeks ago when he claimed the unfamiliar equipment had caused him problems during the World Cup.

Promising to never again wear a boot he wasn’t comfortable with, Lehmann kept his word when he turned up for training prior to the Swedish friendly sporting his own brand of footwear. Cue the sound of hell breaking loose.

If all that appears to be nothing more than a storm in a teacup then cast your mind back to the Sonia O’Sullivan kit fiasco at the Atlanta Olympics and then imagine if one of the manufacturers was an Irish company and a national icon.

On and on the affair rumbled until finally an agreement was reached to the apparent satisfaction of all parties on Thursday. Lehmann had altered a half a century of tradition but the man himself was playing the hullabaloo down yesterday.

“If you have a problem of a medical nature it is in your own interest to wear shoes you are familiar with. The problem is that when you get older, you want your own footwear.

“I compare it to a mattress. “If you play at home you are at home in your own bed, but when you go away to a hotel it’s not your mattress and it’s not eassy getting used to it. The problem was three days was not enough time to get used to things.”

His next task is keeping Stuttgart’s Timo Hildebrand at bay long enough to pass into retirement without any residual scowl.

“With the national team, you have to prove yourself in every training session. So for the next two years, I must play well, prevent goals and hope to stay in the side,” said Lehmann.

He has already announced that when two years is up he will hang up his gloves. And the task of securing a swan-song at the Euro 2008 finals begins tonight in Stuttgart where he will be protected by an unfamiliar back four because of injuries.

On their defensive reshuffle, Lehmann said: “We had the same problem before the World Cup where the German defence was slaughtered by the media.

“We always said give us until three weeks before the World Cup. Things will work out and in Marcell Jansen, Philipp Lahm and Arne Friedrich, we have three players who did it very well in the World Cup. So, to say it’s a completely new back four is untrue. Manuel Friedrich is a newcomer but he knows the system from his club and is familiar with the set-up.”

Familiarity extends to tonight’s opponents as well. Lehmann’s three seasons in the Premiership have seen him cross paths with most of Steve Staunton’s squad.

“They are very, very good players.

“We should respect the Irish team because all of them are playing in the Premiership. They are used to playing at a high pace. They are used to tough physical battles and not only Keane and Duff are very good, O’Shea, Shay Given and some of the (other) players are very good and we have to be aware of that.”