Euro 2008: Jens Must Prove He's Not a Lemon

Twenty four years is a very long time, especially if there's no prospect of parole.  That's how long it has been since Spain has had an opportunity to even look at a European Championship trophy.

The last time Spain played in a final was way back in 1984, when they lost to France.  Exactly twenty years prior to that, in 1964, they defeated the USSR, the team that had won the previous title in 1960.

During that time, they have earned a reputation as "chokers", playing well in early rounds, only to hit a wall once the serious pressure is applied.  Tonight, when they face Germany, everything could change.

If the Spaniards can hold their nerve for 90 minutes, their form suggests that they should have the potential to win.  If it happens, they may owe thanks to a man who is not even Spanish.  I'm talking, of course, about Jens Lehmann, the German goal keeper.

Lehmann has, so far, not brought his best game to Euro 2008.  Most tellingly, in the match against Turkey he made two serious mistakes, one of them resulting in a goal for Semih Senturk.  Against a team like Spain, he can't afford to make a similar mistake.

In fact, Lehmann can't afford to make any mistakes.  Rumor has it that he could be replaced by Nadine Angerer (well... not really, but that would be the coolest thing ever!).

On offense, the Germans have done a reasonable job, with an aggregate of 10 goals scored so far.  Spain are just ahead with 11 goals.  On the other hand, Holland also scored 10 goals, but played far fewer matches.

In tonight's match, both teams are handicapped.  Spain will have to do without David Villa, who just happens to be the leading goal-scorer in Euro 2008 so far, with four goals to his credit.  This puts Fernando Torres in an unenviable high-pressure position.

Many commentators are overstating the problem posed by this loss to Spain, as it was Villa's exit from the semifinal that heralded doom for Russia.  Fàbregas came in and scorched the turf from mid-field, clearly stamping himself as a player for the Germans to fear.

Germany can be expected to apply similar tactics to those used against Portugal.  In that match, Portugal's strongest weapon, Cristiano Ronaldo, was effectively shut down by Arne Friedrich.  While Ronaldo managed to give Friedrich the slip a few times, he was clearly rattled by the pressure and could not put the ball on target.

The Germans face a similar dilemma, with Michael Ballack injured during the game against Turkey.  They do, however, have plenty of ammunition with which to stage a strike.  Lukas Podolski and Miroslav Klose will play in their usual "sniper" position, but will not be able to use Ballack's head as a target (I'm sure this will be a huge disappointment for them!).

Bastien Schweinsteiger will probably be the main support for the big guns, since he has been in good form of late, and it's possible the Tim Borowski could be featured prominently as well. 

Torsten Frings will be playing his first full match since returning from injury, and clearly there has to be concern about whether he will stand up to the test.

With Friedrich likely to spend most of the match tied to Torres, the German defenders will have their hands full chasing down the Spanish midfield.

Meanwhile, Iker Casillas has proved to be Jens Lehmann's opposite number in more ways than one.  He has been playing with almost cyborgian resolve, managing to shut out the Russian attack force composed mainly of strikers and midfielders from the UEFA Champion team, Zenit St Petersburg.

That bodes well for this match, since many of the German forwards are from the Bayern Munich team that lost resoundingly to Zenit St Petersburg.

The Germans have a habit of winning major competitions.  They are also reknowned for turning around poor form.   To win tonight, without Ballack, will be quite a challenge, however.

Most importantly, Jens Lehmann must step up and deliver the very best game of his life.  If he can't get his act together for this all-important match, well... let's just say he could soon be in need of Lehmann aid.