Lukas Podolski’s roller coaster career is certainly on the down slope. Despite winning the World Cup this summer with Germany, the striker is not getting much playing time.
His production is down as well. Podolski fought injuries last year but rebounded from a tough first season in the Premier League to boast a strike rate of 12 goals in 27 appearances, a much closer figure to the strike rate that brought him to England from FC Koln.
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Seven of his eight appearances have been substitutions, all in the 76th minute or later.
From The Telegraph:“I like London, I like the club, but I don’t like the situation,” he told German magazine Kicker having again sat on the bench for Arsenal’s 2-1 home defeat to Manchester United.
“I’m not some clown who can sit out his contract in the stands.”
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“The fun of the game is being taken out of me at Arsenal,” he said at the time. “I’m a true-blood footballer and want to play.”
The article points out that Germany boss Joachim Loew has told Podolski to find club playing time or move on from international football, more or less (Surely, the anti-Klinsmann crowd will call for Loew’s removal soon). And it seems that even injuries aren’t going to move him to the front of the line. With Olivier Giroud back, Podolski feels as good as gone.
