Arsene Wenger admits that Lukas Podolski seems to handle the responsibility of a wider attacking berth better than a central role but stressed that the German is probably Arsenal’s most clinical finisher.
The 28-year-old netted a clinical first half brace against Coventry City last night as the Gunners convincingly secured passage to the fifth round of the FA Cup taking his tally to the season to five goals in eight appearances this season.
“Podolski can score goals and when you have a goal chance you want him to have it,” reflected Wenger after the 4-0 win.
“He is a clinical finisher and he has an unbelievable short and quick backlift. He is very accurate in his finishing. He can be effective, he can score goals when he starts and when he comes on, he is always dangerous.
“His performances have been more convincing on the flank than in the middle until now.”
Having missed more than three months of the season with a serious hamstring problem, Wenger has used Podolski sparingly over the last five weeks provoking that he could be surplus to requirements at the Emirates.
Admitting that his lay-off was tough to come to terms Podolski said last night that’s he remains focused on training hard and improving over the coming weeks.
“Being out for four months you must train hard, work hard and of course [then you] come in and play,” he told Arsenal Player.
“I’m ready, I’m fit. It was a long time for me, I’ve never had a long injury before and it was a muscle problem. It wasn’t easy. You work hard and train hard and finally get back.
“I’ve come in the last matches and it’s important to stay fresh, to train hard and to feel good. I’m back, but I don’t know if I’m 100% but I think I played very good today and we’ll see in the next few weeks.”
I love it when Podolski plays. Heck he always seems to find a way to score, which baffles me as to why he dosent get as much playing time.
But hey, I’m not a Legandary football manager so I can’t question that judgement.
i think he tires out towards the end…stamina i think is why..imo
I dont think he always does. As he says at the moment ‘I don’t know if I’m 100%’.
Podolski makes a lot a of short explosive sprinting runs. Steve Bould once said he had never seen any striker like Podolski, coming to the balls at 100mph and finishing extremely hard. Those acts burn energy quickly. He’s more a sprinter than a 10000-metre runner.
i would rather he starts from the left too, he is lethal and i think he tracks back really well, quick and not to forget his left foot ‘thor’s hammer’ shot …did anyone notice at some point we had 5 Germans on the pitch…are we now important to Germany as we are to France and England..?, i am Nigerian but its like am gonna root for Germany in Brazil…COYG, onwards and upwards!!!!!! Arsenal for life
Ozil is better on either flank as well and Santi is ten times more effective off the front man anyone else think this as well???
No. You are alone… in the miserable dark.
i second…in a lone striker formation, a player like Poldi will add more than more to the Striker role…drift to the false 9 position and also track back when needed…offer options in midfield…score goals…but our creative MFs have been great on the flanks but we see what can happen when we dont get it right..(hasnt happened much) Man Cheaty…
I said it on the by the numbers post, i was shocked to see he’s only completed 4 full 90 mins for us since he joined.
I’d love to know Wenger’s reason(s) for it.
Does anyone know if he’s the most subbed player ever to play under Arsene at Arsenal?
I doubt it.
Up until this season, you could almost predict every substitution AW made in matches. It isn’t just Poldi. Alex Hleb, Rosicky, Arshavin, and many were always players AW subbed off around the 68 minute mark when they started.
Probably down to statistics showing they slowed down a lot in the final third of games due to low stamina (Rosicky especially needed to be taken care of due to his injury record – fatigue makes you more prone to injury).
He’s not the fittest of the lot.
As along as he scores before being subbed off, I don’t really care.
Poldi is as efficient as a German car engine. You definitely want him at the end of chances and nine times out of ten, he will score. What’s exciting is these guys are hitting form mid-season! This coupled with our strong end of season form means we have a real chance this year!
If we survive February and March, then anything can happen.
We are not gonna leave it to anything..we are definite and we know what we want..to remain where we are now on the league table and kick some arses on our way to achieving that
He is as good as giroud different giroud better at holding up, poldo better finisher
Top player, good attidude and winning mentality. Exactly what we need and more to come
With Poldi’s left peg like Thor’s hammer and his decent right one (barring last night’s chance), who needs a stinking dutch skunk with a left foot brittle as glass and a right made of chocolate?
Sir wenger is right.very right but he must sign draxler.i love his game
All these statements mean is Wenger softening the blow of us not signing anyone in the next week.
Just cause Ozil cost 42M it doesn’t mean he can’t be effective playing wide to enhance the team as a whole, he’s quicker than Santi n counters better! I think Ozil is much better coming inside from the flanks and Santi’s quick feet and shooting ability is much better in tight spaces and at the centre of the pitch.
Ozil doesn’t like the wings very much.
Ozil Just does what he wants 😉
Couldn’t say much but was very pleased with Poldi’s perfomance, being subbed almost all game shows how highly rated the coach value him.. My days are going smoothly as the Gunners are proving critics wrong.
Something’s wrong here, isn’t it?
Podolski is a seasoned international, with a terrific goals per game record for Germany, yet he hardly ever plays the full 90 minutes for us. Why? And the rumors are that Wenger is looking to offload him.
It just doesn’t add up.
Fitness.
That’s a pretty tired excuse if you ask me. If you’re only fit enough to do 70 min, how long does it take to get fit enough to do 90? Certainly not a year.
It looks to me like Wenger only regards Poldi as a squad player, but of course I don’t really know what’s going on. Pity.
I’ve thought this for ages Fats, he’s been consistently one of the most lethal finishers in Europe and yet he can’t get a game for us? It just doesn’t compute at all.
Podolski need more game start
5 Germans on the pitch? Sacker, Ozil, Zalelem, Poldi, Gnabry. And now Arsenal are looking to land Draxler, hmm seems we’ve decided to go Germans since French did not live up to the bill. All well and good, upward and Forward we go
Am glad for zelalem, his composure is immense for a kid his age. As for poldi I think arsene got to start him more often. He is indeed clinical and efficient. Gunners keep doing what you know best.
It doesn’t add up because the rumours are just that., Rumours!
Obviously I would like to see him play more even if its just to ensure that cazorla plays in the centre.
We’ve to concede that wenger knows more abt his players than we do. So except you want to tell me this is a vendetta against podolski, I don’t see it as anything mysterious.
(By the way, most players would still say they are fit even if one of their legs was obviously dangling from the knees)
Bad choice of words there considering Eduardo & Ramsey.
Podolski is the best finisher at the club. If Wenger sells him to finance another attacking midfielder, I’ll be furious.
He needs to play more often. He’s the only player of his kind that we have. Plus he’s mobile, which big Olly for all his strengths in holding the ball up, just isn’t.
Yeah that french thing didn’t work at all. Henry,veiera,pires,petit etc they were terrible. Ffs.
just wanted to say that ox in the middle is very promising..
Don’t forget, Theo is now dangerous striker in the final third. I would like to see poldi,giroud,walcott i the final third but seems it would be next season show.
Poldi is awesome when he’s fresh but stamina is definitely his weakness
Let’s be honest, as good as Podolski is as a finisher, arsene knows his team is more effective with cazorla on the left because ozil and cazorla are two very quick passers of the ball and are interchangeable during the match as they are both good at holding the ball, dictating the pace of attacks and chipping in goals. Playing Podolski on the left limits the midfield movement which is important to arsenal as most teams sit behind the ball against us until we are leading. Without this movement, it’s much harder for our players to make chances and score.
“His performances have been more convincing on the flanks than in the middle UNTIL NOW” …is the exact quote.. Until now. So….no Ciprian Marica then, press will suddenly awaken to the fact that suddenly, we have another striking asset and that Walcott (absent for most of the season anyway) will not be as ‘sorely missed’ as they would like to imagine…particularly with santi also coming into fine goalscoring form and with that man Ramsey back shortly LANS. OTOH against 80% of teams in the PL, Poldy would not have been afforded that much space and he was operating with the… Read more »
If we cannot get a World class CF that can create something outta nothing, a CF that can lead the line with authourity, confidence and consistency, then we need to be consistent and approach every game as if its a final. Yes Draxler will be a welcome buy but we already have wide players and he’s not a proper CF (will need time to adjust to the new role). What we really need is a defined world class CF (Suarez, Falcao, Aguero even Drogba) or near world class (Martinez, Costa, Muller even Benteke/Lukaku). Don’t slate me, its just my opinion.
I think poldis time is up. Time to bring in Draxler or reus
What people have to remember is the way the team is set up.A big man holding the ball up is far more important than a 30 goal striker . The runners from midfield will wear teams down as can be seen by the the spread of goals across the team