"Goalkeeping is the greatest test of character within the team. He is either a hero or a mug, depending on performance and the presence that he exudes in the goalmouth. To play at the top of his game, he needs to know that he is trusted completely. Neither Almunia nor Lehmann can believe that trust exists in full right now from their manager.

"Arsenal need three points on Sunday to reduce Chelsea's Premiership lead to a meagre two. With so many points still up for grabs, the result will provide little more than a psychological boost for the winning team and the respective managers.

"We await with interest Arsene's decision on his goalkeeper, but I believe he will revert to Lehmann, hoping that the German will react and respond to the wake-up call he has received just as positively as he did when playing throughout a 49-game unbeaten Premiership run that was almost without blemish."