When Olivier Giroud was struggling for fitness, and Nicklas Bendner and Theo Walcott were both ruled out with injuries, Arsene Wenger said he has faith in Lukas Podolski to deliver the goods and lead the line.
However, before Giroud made his comeback on Monday night against Aston Villa, Podolski only managed to get 64 minutes of action out of a possible 270.
The German forward’s stats thus far this season reads six appearances in total made (four in the Premier League – two as a starter) and three goals scored – that’s a goal every other game.
Since joining Arsenal in 2012 from FC Koln, although naturally a striker, Wenger has played the 28-year-old on the left side of the front three. But recently he has even struggled to reclaim this position. Podolski has, by the looks of it, fallen further down the pecking order for the left wing role, with the likes of Santi Cazorla, Jack Wilshere and even 33-year-old Tomas Rosciky ahead of him, all of which are primarily more effective in the centre of midfield or behind the striker.
To our delight, Alex Oxalde-Chamberlain returned to the first-team after recovering from a long-term injury and was placed on the bench alongside Podolski for the game against at Villa Park.
But in the final stages of the Villa game, The German international seemed to hint at his frustration of the lack of game time he is currently receiving after Wenger opted to put Chamberlain on instead of Podolski, who zipped up his jacket in dismay and shook his head at the Frenchman’s decision.
Podolski was not happy with his lack of game time last season and was linked with a move away from the Emirates as a result. The German, however, decided to stay and prove to Wenger he should be starting more matches for Arsenal.
But we are already in the second-half of the season and nothing has changed for Podolski. In fact, he has seen less action than he did last season!
I just don’t get why he can’t get a game at the moment as he is a serious threat when going forward and clearly a fan favourite.
I don’t particularly know what Wenger has planned for Podolski this season, but the striker clearly isn’t happy which could lead to a problem for the boss in the near future. If Wenger isn’t careful then he could risk losing him at the end of the season, and I wouldn’t blame or begrudge Podolski if he were to hand in a written transfer request over the summer if things don’t change for him.
It is a little weird how Wenger picks Santi Cazorla ahead of Podolski for the left wing role.
I don’t think we should read too much into his apparent strop on Monday night though. He will get his chance again. Saying that, however, Wenger should be wary of what he is doing with Podolski – we don’t want to have an upset player among the ranks who could eventually leave if he doesn’t get what he wants.
The trouble is with Lukas, that he blows hot and cold. One game he’s firing in shots like there’s no tomorrow, and next game he’ll hardly touch the ball and gets taken off. I think the striker role is there for the taking, and I’m sure he could do it. It’s up to him if he puts in the effort.