Lukas Podolski has only completed four full games for Arsenal since moving to London last summer.
The first came in late November against Montpellier, a game in which he scored a stunning volley, while he also got 90 minutes under his belt away at Reading and Brighton and in January’s 2-2 draw with Liverpool at the Emirates. In eight further games he’s been subbed in the last 10 minutes, but all too regularly (19 times) he’s been hauled off in a 22 minute window before that.
In total the German has made 31 starts in all competitions and nine as a substitute, which makes for perfectly respectable reading, but it hasn’t dampened speculation that there’s something not quite right.
Pressed for the umpteenth time on the matter, this time in his pre-Wigan press conference, the boss hinted at fatigue being a major factor:
“He had a good start [to the season], a very strong start. After that, he suffered a little bit physically and mentally because in Germany they have a break in mid-season.
“We have seen with many German players that when they come in for the first season, mentally they suffer a little bit. Now he has recovered and is getting stronger again.
“On the flanks is the most demanding position. Physically, especially in England, it’s very tough.
“He’s a striker. Many times we were in a position where we were in a winning position in the final 20 minutes and then I take a bit more of a guarantee defensively and take him out of the team sometimes.”
The numbers certainly show a drastic drop in playing time.
On 44 occasions Podolski has been included in the team sheet this season (whether as a starter or on the bench) by Arsene Wenger. In 40 of those he has made it onto the pitch either as a starter or sub.
Between the start of the season and the end of 2012 he made 24 appearances with an average 73.45 minutes of playing time per game.
Since the start of 2013 he’s made 16 appearances from the 20 games he was included on team sheet with an average of 37.25 minutes of playing time.
That’s pretty much a 50 per cent drop.
Surely a missing winter break can’t account for all of that? And isn’t it weird we spent all that cash on a bloke who doesn’t finish games?
Arseblog News thinks Arsene still isn’t telling the whole truth…
Didnt you have a piece on here earlier where Podolski admitted he had an ankle injury? Surely that’s part of it? Injury + fatigue could definitely equal less playing time.
We haven’t had a game for a week and a half and he’s
tired? What a joke
I suffer a little bit mentally when I hear Wenger use the same old words.
and yet you have the mental strength to continue to read until the very last minute. it’s a remarkable quality that you have.
It’s more character than mental strenffs.
He’s a top, top, top reader. However, readers like him aren’t available in the January transfer window, we must wait until summer. If a top, top, top reader like him is available then I am not hesitant to spend the money, if I think it is worth it.
Following Schezzers recent comments on sp*rs, I’d have liked wengers press_con to be short and precise. Something of the sort.
W
enger: (sits down)
Wenger: one word; Szczesney.
Wenger: (leaves)
Journos: 0_o
You know, it’s not my job to comment on that, I just focus on this comment section and focus on what I write next. I feel this article lacked a bit of sharpness physically, but if I have something to tell you about it I will let you know.
ha! arsenal just don’t *do* injury prone players, everyone knows tha… oh
True, but it isn’t just down to fatigue. Tomas rosicky’s return from injury and emergence as our most effective midfielder has meant that cazorla (who is rightly undroppable) has had to shift to the left flank (hence dropping podolski) to make space for rosicky. As such Podolski has been limited in his number of starts in recent months.
It does worry me that Cazorla is considered unstoppable. He’s obviously a very talented exciting player but if I were to rate his first season I’d give it 6.5 out of ten. He’s had a few games where he’s looked great, such as Reading away, but there have also been quite a few periods where he has been fairly anonymous. Hopefully he’ll take lessons from Theo on how to be consistently consistent.
Santi has been a bundle of energy for the entire season, like TR7 on some kind of performance enhancing steroids. He’s harried, pressed, hurtled about the place like that Tasmanian Devil cartoon thing, and for that I can forgive him pretty much anything, because even when he’s not threading it right or his shooting’s off, he’s still working his bollocks off and he’s still trying as hard as anyone. Rambo has it. Jack has it. TR7 has it. Santi has it. Sagna has (had?) it. If we’re on a course where our resources mean we can’t bring in the best… Read more »
I’d love to see some distance per minute stats for our players. I reckon Rambo’s will be through the roof.
jenks has it… in spades, scratch that, hearts.
Generally agree, perhaps I’m being harsh. I suppose as our best player I’m comparing him to the teams best player over the past few years, being RVP and Cesc before that, who regulary carried the team. Hopefully with some better quality in attack next year his hard work will reap the rewards it deserves.
@Pete I think he averages like a good few hundred yards running distance more than every other player in the team per game or something ridiculous.
and @midfield general, Cazorla has played the most minutes, and has been the most consistent, and has 11 goals to notch; if you think he’s anonymous, I’d say lack of break is actually an explanation for him – not to mention until Wilshere and Rosicky, he has been pretty much singlehandedly spearing our midfield offense…
Also Spain does not rate him below Fabregas either… I think he’s the best player we’ve had since him.
There is no way podi could have played that bad playing in his preferred position, he looked like he had no motivation to play whatsoever. Blaming it all on not having a winter break is absurd. He admitted he has an ankle problem, why is Wenger trying to hide it?
Prehaps to avoid ankle surgery, it’s strange, when he came here one of the supposed big selling points was his mobility.
The question is… Will he start tomorrow?
I don’t know about any one else, but i’m really nervous.
It continued a theme yesterday with Stoke. We haven’t had a ‘favour’.
City rolled over for Spurs.
Utd rolled over for Chelsea.
Chelsea couldn’t finish off Spurs.
Adam couldnt help being an idiot.
It is down to us and I think we owe that to Sp*rs. if we can’t win these games we don’t deserve CL.
2 wins. Simples.
But i’m still nervous :0/
At least we ain’t bored huh?
I think Arse2Mouse has it spot on when he says this feels like a relagation battle. It’s so stressfull feeling like the trap doors are yawning beneath us. Especially considering that with these new deals we might finally be able to spend some bloody money.
Totally agree. It has been a very long drawn relegation battle to boot. Considering where we we’re after losing that recent local derby that i won’t go into… To have it in our own hands is all you can ask for. But to be playing against a team that will go down for certain whilst you need the maximum points. My word the football scripts never fail to amaze. Fatigue must play a factor. Wigan must be exhausted. The thing is… We have not been convincing in this recent unbeaten run. 1-0 Bum-squeaker? Arsenal are no good for my Heart… Read more »
Please don’t use Richard Keys catchphrases … squeaky ***!
Well, from all that Wenger has been saying about the stadium and the associated deals, we have been aiming to increase our spending this summer for the last few years. In all that time we have always been saying (behind the scenes, at least) “If we can stay in the hunt til Summer 2013…” Well, the last couple of years we have really had to scrabble to stay in the hunt, and it has all come down to this… 180 minutes of football will decide if we are to stay in the Hunt or to fall back into the crowd.… Read more »
Yeah very much so, was thinking about it earlier and it would just be so bloody typical and ironic that just as things are turning around on the financial front we drop out of CL! I really do honestly think that THIS is going to be the summer, everything points to it, we’ve been hearing for years about FFP coming in, and the new deals etc. etc. Perhaps just wishful thinking again, but I really get the impression we’re right on the verge of turning a corner, and it would be so sickening if we did miss out this year… Read more »
i’m pretty nervous about wigan, they were great in the cup final and looked really good on the break
i’m already having nightmares about that long diagonal pass that usually cuts us to shreds
Following Schezzers recent comments on sp*rs, I’d have liked wengers press_con to be short and precise. Something of the sort.
Wenger: (sits down)
Wenger: one word; Szczesney.
Wenger: (leaves)
Again?
Podolski’s got a lot more in the tank. When I saw his goal against Montpellier & the demolition of West Ham, I knew we had a special player.
If he truly does have an injury/fatigue problem, surely rest him & give Ox/Gervinho a start? The better Pod is next season, the better the team will be.
Why doesn’t he drink those milk sweetning energy drinks? If they are half of what they claim to be, the results will be awesome.
Fattening
Poldis’ fatigue shows that although the top german clubs are now very strong, it’s only the top 4/6 and the rest are really quite poor. Giive him, Oli G & Santi a full pre-season and having gained the knowledge & experience of the PL , they should all show even better next season.
no, they aren’t.
i think quality seriously tapers off after Bayern and Dortmund.
You mean Schalke e.g. who comfortably beat Arsenal in the group stages?
I always assumed his lack of playing time was due to his fitness/fatigue as there is no question about his ability despite not shining through the middle recently. I think there’s a lot more to come from him.
The question needs to be asked….Wenger has bought a decent player that just doesn’t fit in to his system of play. He isn’t effective on the wing, hasn’t got the pace to be upfront by himself and isn’t good at holding it up for others. He needs to be played in a proper 4-4-2. He’s got an eye for goal and a great shot on him, he looks a good bloke…..but we should never have bought him.
Poldi got more assists than any other on the wing. Pace? I believe he’s one of the fastest in the team. Look into things before yo write shit dude. In cologne he played same formation as ours, lone striker. Scored 20 goals in his last season. Come on man
Couldn’t disagree with you more there friend. Firstly, I’m not entirely sure how a 4-4-2 set up would benefit Lucas, a player who has always, for Germany and Cologne, drifted into wide positions as apposed to being and out and out striker. I’m not sure he will ever be a solid 20 plus goals a season player for us and I don’t think Wenger bought him on that premise, but I think his approach play has been sublime at times. Giroud’s first goal for the club at Upton Park was all down to Podolski, as was Santi’s first goal at… Read more »
Yes I agree Poldi was not right for us or for him. Poldi was like so many others an economy buy which has not paid off. Giroud, Poldi, Girvinho, Squilacci, Park, Santos Chamak have also been very poor buys. The failure of Ashavin Denilson, Bendtner Djourou and the injuries to Rosicky Wilshire Miachi and Diaby has meant vast amounts of our finances have been spent on deadwood or injurys. It is therefore remarkable that Arsenal is still in with a strong chance of ECL qualification. We owe a lot to the regulars like Merts, Kos, Gibbs, Sags, Rambo, Santi ,… Read more »
And Arteta of course. He has been great value for money.
Theo is your man of the season…? Podolski and Giroud are economy buys that haven’t paid off…?
I have no idea how to process that
stick to rugby next time
Still Don’t know what the reason is, injury i would say, but the fitness/fatigue thing, is just a load of bollox
Is an odd one. I think they’ll sell this summer if a good offer comes in but I’d like to see us keep him. He’s an excellent squad player, the bench looks nice and strong with him on it and he’s a danger when he starts too.
mid season break? but hasn’t he had that mid season break by not actually playing for most of it? he’s had a most season break
at the moment it feels like we’ve bought a 2nd hand car and its starting to fall apart after a few months
i hope it is just some niggling injury and that it clears up SOON, because he is a quality finisher and its good to have another genuine striker as one of the front 3, rather than just 1 plus 2 midfielders/wingers
I agree there’s more to the story. Maybe hiding the injury a bit to improve Poldi’s value on the market? I like Poldi, but if we bring in Jovetic (please!), then we could have a lot of speed on the flanks with Ox and Theo—a great attacking trio—and so get back to counter-attacking speed and have a top finisher. I thought Poldi would be the guy for us early on when he led the counter-attacks. He’s fast, not terribly creative on the dribble, and fits a counter-attacking team (like Cologne, btw). He’s a plus to any team, on and off… Read more »
The idea of it being fatigue + injury is absurd. If he’s injured, he wouldn’t get to play, certainly not as much as he has (I know it hasn’t been that much). AW would let him recover before playing him. This isn’t a Sunday morning park league where you play hurt, okay maybe a little bit Sunday morning park league but you know what I mean.
There is no doubt that Wigan will be tired but there’s also no doubt that beating Citeh to win the cup will give them a massive boost.
One things is simple and pretty much always the case with the mighty Arsenal, if we play to our potential and class, they don’t stand a chance.
If…
Plenty of excuses, why not just admit, that apart from having a good shot the rest of his game is pretty poor. The guy was well known before we got him and no big clubs came for him, that tells the story. They knew him for what he is. Still, he is a bit better than the other dross that Wenger buys nowadays. So thankful for small mercies etc. etc.
All hail Wenger the Messiah!
Been reading too many of Piers Morgan tweets, have we?
Well he went to Bayern but they had a million strikers at the time and played him in a formation he didn’t like so he didn’t do that great.
I’m pretty sure he only left Cologne because they got relegated anyway.
….hahahahaha!!! really cant stop laughing! just like your name…”sick of wenger”…you are just anti-wenger dude…still laughing…
I’m sick of waiting for this bloody game! Why did they have to play the FA Cup Final whilst the rest
of the season is still going? Why not leave it til after the league has finished? That makes much more sense doesn’t it? I’m sure it never used to be like this! If it means that Wigan are totally knackered and we can rip them apart then that’s fine but I seriously hate waiting for us to play. It’s almost felt like an interlull.
You’re an excuse mate. And a poor one at that, for a human being who wishes to meaningfully add to a discussion. It’s amazing that someone with a “pretty poor game” aside from his shot accrues more than 100 caps for – I know, I know… an obscure and smallish nation with no history of football success (!) – Germany. I think you’ll find that it’s your opinion and not his game which is pretty poor. Furthermore, to try and link Poldi with Wenger bashing is so retarded I can barely bring myself to give it the time to rebuke… Read more »
My comment was @sickofwenger
I don’t see what’s so weird about these numbers for a player adapting to the EPL. in 2003/04, Ljungberg (hardly a player lacking in stamina) was subbed off in 21 of his 27 starts, averaging 78 minutes a start. Bergkamp was another frequently subbed player – 17 out of 21 starts in 03/04, 19 out of 23 in 02/03… he certainly wasn’t being subbed off for poor performances or some nefarious reason other than frequently being tired after playing ~70 minutes… just last year, a certain Gervinho (who also happened to be adapting to a new league) was subbed off… Read more »
I thought the secret of Podolski subs was already revealed few months ago by blogs or someone else. Can’t recall for sure but it was something to do with his childhood and clocks. Why that was never on a cover story on any sport site, I wonder. Hopefully Carl Jenkinson’s dad is still gonna sing the champions hymn in a champions league final or I’d be very dissapointed..
[…] 来源：[Arseblog News] […]
[…] team, I suspect we might see a change up front. Lukas Podolski has struggled in his two games, and the manager’s attempt to explain why he’s been subbed so often are as clear as mud. I think he might go for Theo Walcott tonight and bring Gervinho or […]
agree Blogs, something not right. he could have given Podolski a small January break if he thought it would bring him back stronger and better
Personally I think Poldi is being taught how to play as a striker. He has all the attributes but he doesn’t really use them properly as a cf yet… he’s strong enough, quick enough, clinical and loves combination play… its the runs and the positioning with his back to goal to receive the ball, open defences etc that he has trouble with. He can learn that. defensively poldi was a liability on that left side and given the balance we have now with santi, who runs all day and is aware of what’s behind him, you can understand poldi getting… Read more »
[…] means Lukas Podolski and Theo Walcott should start up front. The manager revealed recently about his decision to sub the German early in most games this […]