After two errors in a week, questions have been asked about the ability of our veteran keeper Jens Lehman and some have called for a change in keepers while others defend our German. So what are the options?

Buying another keeper
Seen some suggest it in other places but a keeper of Jens’ class would be hard to find cheap, Aluminia will want to leave since he will be pushed down the pecking order and Fabianski will perhaps have his development curtailed if the new keeper is young enough. Keeper also won't have relationship with players from start. Not a serious option in my book.

Bring in Almunia
Good pre-season, let in a few goals but most he couldn't do anything about, clearly reliable having come on leaps and bounds since his horrendous first year or two. Performed very well last season and has always been a good shot stopper, he has added a lot more to his game. I can see why people want him and I can trust him against the likes of say, West Ham to perform well. My problem with him is his ability in top class games, where it really matters. Conceded three against Spurs, two of which came from his coming out for a cross, both times ended up stranded while I suspect Jens would have saved the own goal. Spilled ball for first Liverpool goal but probably stood no chance for other two, making great saves in all three games to be fair to him. Conceded two goals against Chelsea, the first of which he really should have stopped and I can't recall him making a save. Maybe it is just learning how to use his feet to best advantage or maybe it is just lacking a spark of class, probably the best second choice outside of Foster in the Prem but first teamer? Is reliability enough for a top class club?

Bring in Fabianski
Very young, promising keeper who might be first choice next season or take over from Aluminia (who may well be stopgap as number one for Fab to mature) in a few years. Is he ready though? Not been at the club very long to get used to his team-mates and pre-season performances did not sound good. Certainly could have done better with Salzburg goal. I wouldn't play him for a regular period this year in first team if I could avoid it.

Keep Jens
On his day, as good as anyone in England, holds shut-out record after a superb CL run where he kept Real Madrid and Villarreal at bay with great performances. In games where we have been outplayed, he has kept us in it or even won it for us in the past. In top class games he tends to perform brilliantly and can win us games. With Euro 2008 next summer, it was expected he would rise to the occasion this campaign. Problem is last season he did cost us points with a tendency to wander off his line too much, so his age and an erratic start have led to some understandable fears that he may be in decline. For me, his start to the season has been mixed, fine game against Ajax but slipped after dallying on ball against Fulham, although played well enough the rest of it. One of our best players against Sparta, he made two fantastic saves and set up a goal against Sparta, by the sounds of it made some good saves when we came under pressure against Blackburn but then made an error. Perhaps unsighted, perhaps the swerve confused him, he made a hash of catching the shot. I don't think Jens however is in decline, I think it may well be something else - but does he suffer from keeper error + old = past it syndrome? Cech has rode his luck this season, Van Der Sar was poor at the end of last season as was Reina at the start. It may just be form but what worries me is how subdued he seemed against Blackburn, when Pederson "knocked into him" and pushed him over the line. Jens looked unhappy but then shook hands whereas I expected him to go ballistic. The fiery style has its critics but I think it does keep defenders on their toes and how often have you seen an opposition player Jens has bawled at play well or score?

Overall
It depends what is wrong with Jens, if just errors then that happens and if off form, dropping him may be worst thing we can do as his confidence will go and he may not recover. We will have to support him through a difficult time knowing that when Jen returns to form, we have a great keeper, as Liverpool did with Reina. Last time Jens got dropped, it was due to fitness and when out of the team, he changed his training to one that suited him better. If it that case again then drop him till he is fit and for me, put him back in immediately. If it is mental then it’s up to Arsene to judge, may be best he plays it off, is dropped or he goes away for a while to recover. If it is the last one then he should be put back in once training back at a good level. I think it is just an erratic start that will go away. If he was an outfielder or had the luck of Cech I doubt anyone would notice but as the last line of defence, he needs to get back to his best, I don't deny it.

His errors have slightly overshadowed how once again, we sat back and put pressure on ourselves in the second half against Blackburn. And that is a far bigger problem - as is our rather shaky defending as a unit so far. I am also a little concerned over the inability to perform anywhere near our best this season for a decent period of time in a game. My biggest worries so far this season have been allowing ourselves to be sucked into scraps rather then playing our football (which could hurt the opposition more then scraps) and our unwillingness to pour forward when we have the lead to go for a second, instead defending and allowing teams to come onto us without offering much in the way of counter attacks. This will cost us more then any keeper will as more often then not, with our sometimes shaky defence, the opposition will get chances and they will score. When we attack, we create our own chances and even if they score, we should have enough in us to score more. But when we just defend, we play into the opposition's hands, greatly limiting our own strengths and indeed playing in a way that our weakest point (our defence) is our most vital. Until we start playing attacking football for long periods in games and pushing forward from start to finish, my hopes of a title challenge will soon dwindle away.

Still, I trust our great manager will sort it out.