After his match-winning effort in the last game against Anderlecht, Lukas Podolski is hoping the Champions League will bring him more chances and goals.
The German has spent most of the season on the bench but showed against Burnley on Saturday how he can make an impact. And with Santi Cazorla struggling to hit the target, Arsenal’s hash(tag) dealer will hope he might get a run tonight against the Belgian side.
Speaking to the official matchday programme, Podolski said about his first goal of the season (but his 6th in his last 9 European games), “Of course it’s important. I haven’t played a lot of minutes and the Champions League is always a special cup.
“I’ve done well in the competition and they are games I like. I’m happy to score but I want more goals.”
Asked if he preferred the European nights to domestic games, he said, “I don’t think it’s that different from the Premier League. The games are under lights and are something special.
“I was pleased to score against Anderlecht and it was an important goal, but I like the Premier League too because the matches are always special events.
“If we win tonight we’re in a good position. Then we have the match against Dortmund at home, and it’s one we have to win.
“I want to go through to the next round as group winners.”
Podolski is frustrating, he can look unbeatable when he comes off the bench, but when he starts he is often anonymous and sloppy.
He sends me round the bend. And I only say that because I think he should be doing more with the talent he’s got.
He does have a big lobby among fans though, because he can kick a ball really hard – and has the social media skills of a whiz-kid teenager.
But something’s definitely missing upstairs, whether it’s effort in training, work-rate or in the way he reads the game.
He would be amazing with giroud in 442. you heard it here first
No I didn’t I’ve heard hundreds of people suggest this – and honestly I think this possibility is just a way for us podolski lovers to dream of a system in which he can flourish but realistically I think the problem is more complicated than that and also he is simply not good enough to merit having a system built for him.
Alexis and Giroud tops that any day of the week.
If we could leave Poldi in or at the top of the box all game, he’d be brilliant. That’s why he’s so strong at the end when we’re dominating.
I’m sure our attack will be much more potent with a 4-4-2 but its the balance in midfield I’m not sure about. We could be outnumbered in midfield and against quality opposition, I dont think wenger will take that risk. We play like a 4-4-1-1 though, and so it might be enough.
If only he his his shots a little harder he might score a few more…
“What a goal that was… Crossed towards Podolski at the back post.. He’s cracked it against the bar, the ball ricocheting upwards, orbiting the moon, before going in off the keeper’s back”
Seems so much better off the bench than when he starts. Let’s keep him there and hopefully for him, and the woodwork, he gets some more.
Cazorla looks like a player that could use a break.
What about Podolski on the left, Welbeck in the middle with Sanchez behind them?
#Podoslki #scores #netbreaker
#podolski #netbreaker
#BarIsStillShaking
R.I.P. goalposts and nets……….
After the battering it took on Saturday the poor bloody goalpost is likely to do a runner the first time it sees Poldi steaming in…
that goal posts from last week..still shaking..
Be nice to see have more than ten minutes.
“I want to go through to the next round as group winners”.
But, of course, we won’t. We’ll safely finish second, as we usually do. Then, of course, we’ll find ourselves playing the might of Barcelona/Real Madrid/Bayern Munich, and we’ll very quickly and easily be despatched – until next season, when we’ll do the same.
Where’s Bill Murray?
Yeah, because when something happens a few times in a row it is always going to happen. I read that in a book. Or the Internet. Somewhere reliable, anyway.
well it’s been happening for….I don’t know since forever? No we haven’t won the Champions league, not ever… So yes, it will happen again (not winning the champions league). We’re pretty consistent in that regard, you can bank on it.
Yep, I heard that if something hasn’t ever happened it is never going to happen.
I read that too.
I am a learned man.
The FatMan is seemingly always bashing, until the arsenal do something that goes completely against what he ‘predicts’. Then there is usually nothing but silence.
Waiting to see the anderlecht keeper along with the ball flying through the net into the stands from a podolski shot.
Pogoalski
I’ll show my self out
I think he could have done well as a striker like he did in Cologne scoring 19 goals for a relegated side. But anyway with us being incapable of breaking down organised defences, just having Poldi’s foot lurking outside their box would probably be a good thing. Unlike most of our players who put the ball in row z when they attempt long distance shots, Podolski is clinical enough to usually be on target with his shots and test the keeper or rattle the woodwork. And when he on occasion does miss, he usually is not far off.
I’d be inclined to start him tonight if we go with Flamini/Arteta again, he’d be covered if he goes walkies a bit defensively and with Gibbs getting forward well, and Chambers for that matter his finishing could be very useful indeed….
I don’t know what is with the 16 round draw we always get the best team in CL in that year, two years in succession we got barca when they were best team in the world, the last two years we got bayern when they were the best team in the world, so in logical order now we will get real madrid, we can’t be that unlucky always to get the team that is best in the world at the moment, something stinks at uefa !
I think I speak for a large part of the fanbase when I say I’d love nothing more then to see this guy flourish in the red & white of Arsenal, It’s difficult as he definitely isn’t suited to playing a lone striker but maybe he could play there in the new system with AS17 just behind him doing his work for him and letting Poldi smash posts, crossbars & nets all over the country
I think the ideal would be for the attacking midfield line behind Welbeck to take turns supporting in a 4-1-3-1-1 Thereby Podolski, Alexis and Walcott can all move into the slot around Welbeck. The system we currently employ is tailored to maximise our attacking midfield assets as well as create maximum flexibility to interchange across the line from within a game. Ramsey (or Jack) next to (just in front of ) the DM creates a vertical push from deep to overload. This link player in midfield must know when to push up and when to play more conservative reinforcing the… Read more »
Finishing second in the group does give us a much bigger chance of meeting a top team so that explains it somewhat, still we generally gave them a game and were usually a brown envelope away from beating Barca.
Dortmund can be caught. We are only 3 points off.
Their form in the Bundesliga is astoundingly bad for a Rock and Roll manager tipped to be the future for Arsenal. Lying 16th and in the relegation zone is not my ideal of consistency.
Good work with the new mobile template Mr. Blog, it works very well now. Keep up the good work!
Arsenal have a league high of 64% shots towards goal from outside the box & none have found the net this season! Courtesy:SQUAKA
I’m loving the new mobile template. Nice job, Blogs
Yeah like this new mobile template too. Gd work blogs
We want more Podolski. We want more goals. Maybe he isn’t able to sustain through a match but he should get more than 10 minutes at the end of a game. With the new 4-4-1-1, it could benefit Podolski as well. Plus we haven’t quite seen how Podolski and Alexis could combine. More Podoslki please. But there will also be competition from Walcott. Ox is looking industrious, for all his wanton shooting since our switch to Puma gear, Santi is an important creative hub. Plenty of competition. Campbell also deserves a shot at some point. And there’s Gnabry who needs… Read more »
Plenty of attacking tools in the Arsenal.
Gaffer has just to find a way to fully maximise them!
I hope Poldi start and murder the opposition’s net.
UCL tonight! R.I.P Liverpool
Ehm, Blogs, this mobile site is da bomb! Much like the Arsenal we’ll see today, of course!
Am I alone in thinking Santi isn’t playing that badly.
I concur that his shooting is well below par but his all round game is pretty good. I have a feeling once Santi gets one he’ll get a bagful as it just seems to be a bit of confidence needed with his shooting.
Either that or he’s so 2-footed he’s just got the boots on the wrong way round. Swap them back and the goals will flow.
He should be playing the last 30 minutes all the time and occasional starter to make him want to be regular starter. We have lot to do to catch up Chelsea. We cannot afford doing without Poldi’s potential 16 goals.