Hello.
Not much happening still, apart from some quotes from Lukas Podolski, so I decided it's high time to concentrate on his role in this Arsenal side.
I'll start with the quotes, though:
“I have to speak to Wenger because the situation at the moment is not good for me because I have to play, so we will see what happens.I am happy at Arsenal and happy in London but the only thing is I don’t play. I don’t get the chance to play. I play always 10 to 15 minutes. I cannot be happy with this.”
I've already touched on how Poldi's talents are utilised rather peripherally, but I didn't touch on why it is so. Yes, the competition across the front three is vicious, yet the German seems affected more than anyone else. Bar Campbell, maybe (whose position is slightly different), Podolski is the easiest player to omit from the squad and the hardest to include. He just doesn't fit the system, which not only Arsenal uses, by the way.
What system is this? The one with the lone forward. A lot of teams rely on this formation, but for it to work they need a physical presence up front. Like Benzema, Costa, Aguero. Like Giroud and Welbeck. Unfortunately (both for him and for us), Poldi doesn't belong to such type. He isn't strong enough to lead the line alone, an ability which requires playing with your back to the goal a lot.
However, Lukas also isn't your typical winger. He tends to drift inside in search for the ball and thus doesn't stretch the play enough. The German also shies away from tracking back and helping Gibbs out, which leads to the Englishman being exposed. This also limits Kieran's opportunities to bomb forward to give us another option in attack, as Poldi providing cover is not a sure thing.
Ideally, as Amy Lawrence writes in the Guardian (where I got the original idea from, by the way), Podolski is a type of striker who complements a 4-4-2 nicely. He needs someone to lay the ball off for him, to set him up the way we set up our wide forwards. And though Arsene is now more open to playing a 4-4-2, it's again hard to imagine a scenario in which Poldi starts the majority of games.
However, I like the fact the German doesn't throw a tantrum about not getting enough playing time:
“I don’t say that I want to leave or that I leave in winter. I just think about my situation and my situation is unhappy. It is like anyone who is not getting a chance at doing their job. I know that only 11 can play but when you always play 10 or 15 minutes and it happens every week then you cannot be happy. I am happy with the team and the coach and the club but I don’t play. That is the only thing.”
Sensible, no harsh words said, no one is blamed for the situation. Unlike some of our not-so-distant departures, Lukas remains neutral. Good to see.
We'll see what happens in January, but I genuinely don't see Poldi making his way into the starting eleven. He hasn't done so in over two years and doesn't seem likely to do so now.
It's a bit sad, really. Podolski is a top-class footballer. He has a lethal left foot, great sense of positioning and, the most important thing of all, he's a clinical finisher. Probably still the best at Arsenal, maybe in the whole league. These few chances the German gets he puts away.
When he arrived from Koln in 2012 I saw Podolski as a like-for-like replacement for RvP. He ticked the same boxes as the Dutchman, who's lead the attack alone for two seasons. I really thought we will see a lot of Poldi up top. Instead, Giroud became the first-choice forward, as we adopted (or, maybe, reverted back to) a 4-2-3-1. So it feels like an opportunity has been lost with Podolski.
That's it for today, back tomorrow or on Saturday with a preview.
Until then
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