2. Lukas Podolski
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For every player profile, I start off with a burning question, a consideration about them that some Gooners might share, but others might think is idiotic. So, hereās goes:
Does Lukas Podolskiās international career prove that heās one of the most mismanaged players of the last 20 years?
Keep listening to answer that question yourself, and letās go Behind the Arsenal!
Welcome to Behind The Arsenal, the podcast where we explore stories about the players, coaches, staff, and fans behind the mighty Arsenal. Iām your host, Roy.
Today, weāre focusing the man who had Thorās hammer for a left foot: Lukas Podolski. Weāll explore his early life, his career before joining Arsenal, his signing, and highlights from his time with the Gunners.
As with nearly all of these episodes, Iāll be reading out some non-English names, clubs, publications, et cetera. Please forgive me for the inevitable butchering.
Part 1: Early Life
Åukasz JĆ³zef Podolski was born in Gliwice (Gleevitzuh), Poland in 1985. His family moved to Germany from Poland in 1987, part of an immigration wave in the late 1980s.
In Germany, Podolskiās family settled down in a small town outside Cologne. Both his parents were involved in competitive sports back in Poland, and little Lukas soon followed suit. He spent endless hours playing football on the street and at his local club. In an interview with Bild, Podolski contrasted his younger years with the regimented approach of todayās youth football:
āI'm glad that I grew up on the streets and the playing fields. Things are different today. Children are already trained like professionals at the age of seven, eight, nine, ten. What is being organized by the coaches is completely crazy and sick."
By 1995, at age 10, he joined FC Cologneās youth team. Podolski made steady progress at the academy. Even in his early teens, his ballstriking abilities as a forward were obvious, but he also stood out as a clever kid who knew how to make a buck.
He recounted his days scalping football tickets to the Football Business Journal:
āI distinctly remember, back in the days when I played for FC Cologne, playing in the academy meant you always got 2-3 tickets for each game. So, I used to go to the stadium, sell my tickets, enjoy the game, and then head back home.ā
Soon, Podolski would pay back Cologne on the pitch.
Part 2: Cologne & Bayern Munich
Thatās a clip from a German public TV profile about an 18-year-old Lukas Podoski, right around the time he was forcing his way into the Cologne first team. During the 03/04 season, Cologne were a poor side, fighting at the bottom of the table. But Podolski was a shining light: he scored 10 goals in 19 games, then a record for an 18-year-old in theĀ Bundesliga.
Podolskiās maiden season at his boyhood club ended in relegation, but Cologne were back in the Bundesliga a year later. Podolski, with 24 goals in 30 games, was one of the rare cases of a player in the second tier who was part of the German national team squad.
Soon, his international and club experience would overlap further. After Cologneās second relegation in three years, Podolski joined Bayern Munich, home to a large contingent of German internationals.
For the Bayern haters, this was yet another example of the German giants signing the best talent in the country from lesser teams. For the Bayern fans, it was an exciting prospect: Podolski was one of the brightest young players in all of Europe.
Butā¦the move fell flat. Podolskiās first season was mediocre ā he recorded 7 goals and 4 assists across all competitions, with two injury spells towards the beginning and end of the season. Bayern finished 4th, 10 points behind champions Stuttgart. The following season, Bayern signed Luca Toni. The Italian became Miroslav Kloseās primary striking partner. Bayern won the league and cup double.
Podolski spent more time on the bench than he wanted to in those second and third Bayern seasons. By the summer of 2009, he was ready for a change: he returned to his boyhood club, Cologne.
On re-signing for Cologne, Podolski said:
āWe have reached agreement on a contract starting July 1. It just feels good that a final decision has been made. Now, all the speculations about my future career can come to an end.ā
Over the next three seasons with Cologne, Podolski continued to score in the double digits. But the club struggled to become a stable force in the Bundesliga, and were again relegated in 2012.
Podolski was too high quality a player to go down a division. Clubs were bound to come knocking.
Part 3: Signing For Arsenal
In the winter transfer window at the start of 2012, Arsenal had already been linked with Podolski. The official transfer was finally announced on the 30th of April. Arsenal reportedly paid Ā£10.9 million. For the number crunchers, thatās Ā£200,000 more than Lauren and Ā£350,000 less than Dennis Bergkamp. Podolski took the dreaded number nine jersey. Little side bar: might the mighty Lukas have become a golden boot, title-winning legend if he took the twenty-nine jersey instead of the nine. Maybe? Probably? Sadly, weāll never know.
Back to real life.
Podolski said of this move to Arsenal:
"I was on the phone with the manager, Arsene Wenger, and he made me an offer. We spoke half in English and half in German."
Thatās Arsene Wenger talking about the Podolski signing. Podolski arrived at Arsenal during one of the clubās more tumultuous periods under Wenger. Hereās a report from The Guardian that sums up the situation at that time:
āLukas Podolski is poised to joinĀ ArsenalĀ from Kƶln at the end of the season after the clubs reached an agreement in principle on a Ā£10.9m transfer. The Germany striker is expected to sign a four-year contract worth Ā£100,000 a week, according to sources in Germany. ArsĆØne Wenger has been under pressure to bolster his attacking options because the cover behind Robin van Persie, the captain, has looked thin, with neither Marouane Chamakh or Park Ju-young having convinced. Van Persie, who is close to the final twelve months of his Arsenal deal and has placed new contract talks on hold until the summer, must also be persuaded about the club's ambition.ā
Arsenal, a few years into the Emirates era were bang in the middle of a painful talent exodus. Twelve months earlier, both Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri ā Arsenalās brightest midfielders ā were sold to Barcelona and Manchester City respectively. Robin Van Persie, recently crowned Golden Boot winner, decided that it was time for his exit as well. As Podolski and Olivier Giroud signed, Van Persie left for Manchester United.
Aside from the instability within the club, Podolski was also at a strange crossroads in his career:
At 26 years old, heād already racked up 95 caps and 43 goals for Germany. Thatās the sort of international career most players only dream of, and heād achieved this by his mid-20s.
But despite his international acclaim, heād failed to fully realize his potential at club level. Arsenal presented a new opportunity in a new country.
Part 4: Debut Season at Arsenal
Podolski made his Premier League debut at home against Sunderland. He started at centre forward, with Gervinho on the left wing, Theo Walcott on the right wing, and Santi Cazorla at number ten. He played for 64 min and was subbed for one of the other debutants, Olivier Giroud. The match ended 0-0.
Arsenalās next match was another 0-0 draw, this time, away to Stoke City. This time, Podolski started on the left wing. But the Gunners had seemingly left their shooting boots on the beach in Ibiza: 40 shots in their first 2 matches, 0 goals.
That all changed for the next match, away at Anfield. Their 2-0 win over Liverpool is fondly remembered for a masterful Abou Diaby midfield performance, but Lukas Podolski made a telling contribution, opening the scoring with his first goal for Arsenal. He took the ball in stride from Cazorla and finished clinically in the bottom right corner.
He then provided the assist for Cazorlaās goal in the 2nd half. Podolski was buzzing in the post-match interview:
Arsenal followed up that win with a 6-1 thumping of Southampton, Podolski again getting on the scoresheet.
Those wins clouded had a largely flat start to the season. 4 losses and 6 draws in the opening 19 games left Arsenal in 5th place midway through the season, 16 points behind leaders Man United.
Wenger largely deployed Podolski at left wing, with only two starts at centre forward. Podolski was never an out-and-out winger with the blistering pace to trouble full backs. In fact, a November 2012 article in the Bleacher Report labeled Podoski one of the laziest players in world football. That was primarily drawn from his reputation pre-Arsenal, but even with a stronger work ethic, Theo Walcottās pace wasnāt going to magically transfer to Podolski like a Monstar in Space Jam.
His best games came when he could combine with an overlapping Kieran Gibbs and have space to find a pass or shot. And when he found that shot, ohhh it was near impossible to stop.
On his first Champions League appearance for Arsenal against Montpellier, Gooners got a taste of that left hammer. He played a 1-2 with Giroud before smashing in a volley from just inside the penalty area.
Weāll eventually do an episode on Giroud, but that Podolski goal was nearly as much about the delightful lofted pass from Giroud as it was about the thunderous finish.
Off the field, Podolski took to life in the UK like fish to water. His big personality was evident from his first day at London Colney, and he often appeared in club media, such as this Twitter Q&A in late 2012.
As the season unfolded, Arsenal blew hot and cold, and so did Podolski. Dotted between disappointing loses to the like of Chelsea, Man City, and Swansea, were giant wins: 5-2 over Spurs, 7-3 over Newcastle, and 5-1 over West Ham.
Hereās a strange stat for you: Podolski only completed a full 90 min in the Premier League twice over the entire 2012/13 season, even though he consistently contributed goals and assists. I can hear Bukayo Sakaās jaw hitting the floor as he hears that stat, confusion in his eyes. What? You can be a starter and not play 90 minutes?!
By February of 2013, with a faltering league campaign and early exits in the FA and League Cup, the Champions League represented Arsenalās only opportunity for silverware. As fate would have it, Bayern Munich ā Podolskiās former club ā stood in the way of a place in the quarter finals.
At the Emirates, Bayern took an early 2-0 lead. Podolski pulled back the deficit, heading home from a corner after Manuel Neuer misjudged the flight of the ball.
That goal gave Arsenal hope, and Wenger threw on Tomas Rosicky and Giroud in search of an equalizer. The football gods has other ideas and handed the most bizarre of goals to Mario Mandzukic, giving Bayern a 3-1 lead heading into the next leg.
In Munich, Arsenal beat Bayern 2-0, levelling the aggregate score at 3-3 but losing out on away goals.
Arsenalās season had fallen flat, and so had Podolskiās. Starting in February of that year, Podolski started nine straight Premier League matches on the bench. After Giroud was sent off in a 1-0 win at Fulham ā earning himself a 3-game ban ā Podolski started at striker for the final four matches of the season. He scored two goals in that final stretch, finishing the season with 16 goals and 11 assists in all competitions. Arsenal finished the season in 4th place, one point and one place above Tottenham.
Reflecting on his season and comparing it to the Bundesliga, Podolski:
āYes, that was different. In Germany weāre used to having a break for two weeks, but here we spent the New Year in the team hotel. So that was different but I really like this league.ā
And looking ahead to the next season, Podolski was positive about Arsenalās prospects:
āThere are five or six teams who will fight for first place in the Premier League, and we are one of those teams.ā
Part 5: DĆ©jĆ Vu
Podolski started the 2013/14 season lifted by the arrival of his Germany teammate, Mesut Ozil. After a disappointing opening day loss to Aston Villa, Arsenal bounced back with a 3-1 victory at Fulham, with two goals from Podolski.
At the end of August, in a Champions League qualification match against Fenerbache, Podolski helped to set up Aaronās Ramseyās 25th minute opener. Then, in the 49th minute, he suddenly felt tightness in his left hamstring. He hobbled off, Kieran Gibbs coming on as a substitute.
The original prognosis was 3 weeks recovery. But that soon shifted to a more dour 10 weeks on the sidelines.
A Bleacher Report article from James McNicholas ā aka Gunnerblog ā read:
āThe loss of Podolski leaves Arsenal particularly short in attack. With both the German and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on the sidelines, Arsene Wenger's options have been dramatically reduced.ā
Arsenalās squad was thin but in tune. In the period after Podolskiās injury, they racked up win after win. The 4-2-3-1 formation brought the best out of the squad. Per Mertesaker and Laurent Koscielny formed a strong defensive base. Mikel Arteta (the one who knows what we need), Matheui Flamini (the pseudo-billionaire), and Aaron Ramsey (a contender for player of the year that season) rotated in and out of the two-pivot midfield base. A rotation of Mesut Ozil, Jack Wilshere, Santi Cazorla, Serge Gnabry, and Theo Walcott played in the 3 behind sole striker Olivier Giroud. Podolski sat on the sidelines as Arsenal climbed to the top of the table after 10 matches, 5 points clear of 2nd placed Chelsea.
You have to put yourself in Podolskiās shoes at this moment in time. As he was rehabbing, he was watching Arsenalās style of play and execution evolve in front of him. Aaron Ramseyās dynamism perfectly complimented the creativity of Ozil, Cazorla, and Wilshere. Giroud at striker ā despite his up and down finishing ā provided aerial strength, solid hold up play, and an underrated technical ability. This technical security and fluidity underpinned Arsenalās strong start to the season. It was also not really Podolskiās strength.
Hereās a snippet from an Arsenal blog called Bergkampesque that sums up the Podolski conundrum at that time:
āPoldiās case is a strange one. On one hand, Podolski is one of the best finishers around. Even when he is having a poor game, for him it usually still is āone chance one goalā. He is also quite the crosser, especially from that left flank. On the other hand he has little to no influence on a game and therein lies his problem. Podolskiās movement is poor wherever he is played. He doesnāt know how to make runs, has no discernible dribbling ability and his pace is average at best. Podolski seems to spend 90% of his time on or around the halfway line, whether he is played on the left flank or as our target man. Every single time he is played up front the situation arises where a full back will make a run down the flank, but when he gets to the opposition box Podolski is nowhere to be seen and has no intention of getting into the box.ā
When Podolski returned in late December, Arsenal still sat top, with just 3 points separating the top 4. He came on as a sub away to West Ham and scored the final goal in a 3-1 win.
Hereās Wenger in his post-match interview speaking about Podolski:
Podolski worked his way back into full fitness, largely coming off the bench in the Premier League and starting FA Cup games. He scored 3 goals in the two FA Cup fourth and fifth round games, with this sweet finish against Liverpool proving crucial in a 2-1 win.
By March, he ready for a repeat date with Bayern Munich in the Champions League last 16. Podolski was left on the bench for the first leg defeat at the Emirates and played the full 90 min in the return leg. He scored the opener, an absolute rocket from a tight angle that would have concussed Neuer had it hit him in the face. The match finished 1-1, and Bayern went through at the expense of Arsenal. Gooners, I ā like you ā cannot wait for that sweet day when we smash Bayern in the Champions League. Mikel, we believe in you!
Podolski was living through a double deja vu. Heād lost to Bayern again, but on the personal side, he was also going through his previous Bayern experience.
Podolski arrived to big expectations at Bayern, but less than fantastic returns prompted them to bring in Luca Toni, a signing that slowly choked out Podolskiās Bayern tenure.
At Arsenal, Podolski had a decent start in his first year, but in his injury-impacted second season, the tide was turning against him. He was a reliable player, but not the star that was making game-changing contributions on a regular basis.
Podolski played a part in Arsenalās highlight of the season ā an FA Cup final win over Hull City. He then lifted the World Cup with Germany that summer alongside Ozil and Mertasaker. But question marks remained about his Arsenal future.
Part 6: After Arsenal
Twenty games into the 2014/15 season, Podolski hadnāt started a single Premier League game for Arsenal. His only start came in a League Cup defeat to Southamption. In those twenty Premier League matches, heād played a grand total of 99 minutes.
Alexis Sanchez, the newest big addition at the Emirates, took the left wing position by the minerals. Podolski was stuck in no-mans land.
An article from The Guardian in November 2014 summed up Podolskiās state of mind:
āLukas Podolski admits he is unhappy with the bit-part role he is playing at Arsenal, conceding he could leave the club in January. The 29-year-old, who won the World Cup withĀ GermanyĀ in the summer, also revealed that he could have left Arsenal before the transfer window shut, but there were no offers forthcoming. Podolski has started just once forĀ ArsenalĀ this season, making seven appearances as a substitute, and Theo Walcottās return to fitness is only likely to push the German down the pecking order. āI am not happy with the situation at the moment. It would be wrong to suggest that I am,ā said Podolski. āI still have fun playing football but when the competitive element of it is taken away from me, the one I enjoy so much, then I am not happy. I have to think about will happen this winter and will look to hold talks with the club.ā
But Wenger remained defiant that Podolski had an important role at Arsenal. In December of that year, he was asked about rumours of an impending move to Inter Milan for Podolski:
Less than a week after Wenger uttered those words, Inter Milan confirmed that theyād be signing Podolski on loan until the end of the season. Podolski posted a message to Arsenal fans on Instagram:
"I can't express in words my gratitude towards Arsenal fans for all they have done for me. Please know my heart always holds a place for you. I've loved every minute playing for Arsenal and I hope I have left my mark on the club and fans alike. Hopefully we shall meet again."
As quick as heād come, he was gone.
That half season, he played 18 times for Inter, scoring 1 goal and providing 4 assists in a disappointing loan spell. In July, Podolski signed for Galatasaray, officially ending his Arsenal journey.
After two strong seasons in Turkey, he moved to Japan with Vissel Kobe. Podolski then returned to Turkey, before moving to Polish side GĆ³rnik, the club located just 3 kilometres from where he was born.
Part 7: The Mysterious Case of Lukas Podolski
In 2015, The Economist published a short piece titled, āThe Mysterious Case of Lukas Podolski.ā A part of it reads:
āNothing ā nothing ā in contemporary club football can provide an answer to why Arsene Wenger, smart man by all accounts, made the German forward a very expensive bench-warmer for Arsenal. Now with Podolski forced to trot over to Inter Milan on loan (and presumably for keeps in six months), Iām actually feeling better for the chap. When Podolski told German magazine Kicker last November, āI like London, I like the club, but I donāt like the situation. Iām not some clown who can sit out his contract on the stands,ā I actually quietly cried. Vodka-induced, but totally legit tears.ā
Podolski played a full 90 min just seven times in the PL for Arsenal. Iāll read that again. In two and a half years at the club, Lukas Podolski played a full 90 min just seven times in the Premier League.
Why is it that a player who arrived at London Colney with 43 goals for Germany by age 26 ended up with a largely average Arsenal career? Donāt get me wrong ā I appreciated the odd Roberto Carlos-esque screamer, but I feel like we never saw the best of Podolski.
What made him shine for Germany? Largely, a coach and staff that focused on his strengths rather than exposed his weaknesses. So maybe it isnāt so mysterious. You donāt use Thorās hammer to thread a needle.
ā
Thatās a wrap on this episode of Behind the Arsenal. Join us next time as we explore more stories about the players, coaches, and fans that make up Arsenalās rich history.
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You can email me with questions and feedback ā behindthearsenal@gmail.com. You can also reach me on Twitter @BehindArsenal.
Iām Roy, thanks for listening, and Iāll see you next time!
Image: Ā© Lukas-Podolski.com