Often angry, once-gloved, swear-monger extraordinaire Jens Lehmann, never a man to mince his words in the heat of the moment, thinks that players faffing around on Twitter and constantly using mobile phones in their daily lives is taking its toll on communication on the field of play.

Yeah, we know what you’re thinking…’mad’ Jens is at it again. However, when you take into account that he’s recently spent time interacting with the current Arsenal squad while he undertakes his coaching badges its hard not to believe his views have been shaped by what he’s seen. Whether he’s right or not is another matter.

Speaking to Inside World Football, Lehmann reflected on the relationship between man and erm…mobile phone.

“When you are not talking properly and you have to think and react quickly to a teammate, it’s difficult when you have the mentality of always having a few seconds more to reflect a little bit longer before typing in something.

“I believe this is having a major impact now on communication. The players may be intelligent but they have lost the art of quick language.

“Being on their little gadgets all the time means they are less capable of giving quick and fast commands on the pitch.”

Directly blaming our recent defensive travails on social media and Steve Jobs is obviously ridiculous, but there could be something in blaming the technological trappings of the modern world on the failure of players to concentrate on a day-to-day basis at the level which is required.

Incidentally Jens is now on Twitter so you can take it up with him.