Podolski: The dilemma

After scoring a brace for Arsenal in their 4-1 win at Galatasaray, Lukas Podolski has brought himself to the attention of Arsene Wenger and once again tabled the question why has he been not getting much game time this season?

In the Premier League Podolski has featured six times as a sub but as of yet he has not started a game, consequently he has not registered a goal for the Gunners in the league but that could change with Wenger, in the wake of his Champions League double, announcing that he intends to give Podolski more playing time.

Podolski has seen a gradual decrease in playing time since his arrival in the summer of 2012, in his first season he started twenty five league games and came on as a sub in a further eight, he managed a healthy return of 11 league goals and was regarded as a great signing by the fans.

Last season his game time fell considerably starting only fourteen games and coming on as a sub in six, despite the fall in games Podolski kept up a respectable scoring tally, he finished the 13/14 season with 8 goals, 3 less than the season before but having featured in thirteen less games he would have been content with the stats.

The downward trend has continued into this season as formally mentioned but his Champions League exploits could see him cement a place in Wenger’s plans for the coming months. Podolski was even said to be leaving the club in the summer but only for an injury to Olivier Giroud, Wenger couldn’t risk letting him go.

Podolski has been known for underachieving at big clubs in the past, after starting his career at Cologne he was picked up by Bayern Munich in 2006, he never really hit the heights expected of him however scoring 15 goals in seventy one appearances in the three years he spent at the German giants.

In 2009 he made his move back to boyhood club Cologne where he once again thrived under less pressure than at Munich scoring 33 goals in eighty eight appearances gaining the attention of Wenger who brought him to Arsenal. His stats over the years have showed that he struggles under the pressure of playing for the big club teams but internationally for Germany he has been excellent, with one hundred and twenty one caps to his name and 47 goals, his Germany record is very impressive.

Podolski really is a dilemma for managers and all onlookers, it is clear that he has the quality but his inconsistency throughout his career has hampered him a great deal but after Wenger promising him some first team football the twenty nine year old may fancy his chances of once again becoming a first team regular at the Emirates.lsk

photo credit: Kieran Clarke via photopin cc