Lukas Podolski: Time To Fulfill His True Potential In The Premiership

As Arsenal prepare for another enthralling Premier League season, writer Rayyan Dabbous tells us why he thinks Lukas Podolski will improve next year.

Almost a year ago, Arsenal signed German international Lukas Podolski from FC Koln. Although the German club were relegated from the Bundesliga in 2011/12, Podolski enjoyed his season; netting 18 goals in 28 appearances. When asked whether he’s had a good first season in the Premiership, opinions vary. Truth be told, the German hasn’t displayed his true form yet since his arrival at the Emirates.

Based on statistics, the former Bayern Munich player seems to have had a fine season: scoring 16 goals and providing 12 assists in his debut year with the Gunners. However, Lukas Podolski’s performance on the pitch have failed to live up to expectations; taking in account his illustrating career.

The 28 year old has enjoyed a superb career so far with both club and country. He has featured in more than 200 Bundesliga games: scoring 70 goals. He completed the German double with Bayern Munich in the 2007/2008 campaign. On the international stage, Podolski has carved his own name among the German’s all-time greats. He has 110 caps for Die Mannschaft with a goal per cap ratio of 0.4. He scored three goals in both Euro 2008 and World Cup 2006 competitions. He was also named World Cup Best Young Player in 2006 ahead of players like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Compared to Podolski’s past footballing years, his debut with the Gunners appears to be unsatisfactory, so there is certainly room for improvement for the German. A debut year in the English Premier League is undoubtedly the hardest test for a footballer. We’ve seen many foreign players flopping in their first year, but who still manage to arise in their second. Lukas Podolski is looking to impress next season and he is keen on defying critics. What will push the forward to thrive next year?

First of all, one thing you should know about Lukas Podolski is that he doesn’t take no for an answer. He is a rebellious footballer who can sometimes take extreme measures to get what he wants. We’ve seen him slapping captain Michael Ballack in the middle of the pitch a couple years ago after disagreeing with one of Ballack’s instructions.

Furthermore, Podolski is the kind of player who is confident of his own capabilities. When the German general manager Oliver Bierhoff described the Arsenal striker’s progress as “unsatisfactory”, Podolski fired back as he was quoted as saying in the Metro:

“I do not care. I know what I have in me.”

Thus, the first element for Podolski’s possible success next year is his attitude. This attitude will not only push the forward to fight for a place in Arsene Wenger’s starting eleven, but also to win back his place in the German national team.

Germany have produced a lot of young talents lately with the emergence of prodigies like Marco Reus, Mario Gotze and Thomas Muller. Those players are proving to be worthy of a fixed place in their national team, which leaves Podolski out in the cold. However, Podolski’s attitude will not allow him to relinquish his place in national team easily and he’ll continue to fight until the end. But the only way he can regain Joachim Low’s faith is success with his current club, Arsenal.

Another factor for Podolski’s likely achievement next year is the boost his team will obtain by splashing out in this summer’s transfer market. The Gunners are still in search of a striker, with Luiz Suarez tipped to be a possible recruit. A big striker will almost certainly feature in Arsenal’s lineup next season, and Podolski made it clear that he isn’t afraid of the increase in competition. He was quoted as saying in the Sun:

“It is always good when good players come in. I don’t worry about a specific player. And it is certainly not a problem.”

The forward sees this future recruit for his own good. Arsenal will be scoring more goals next season if they are able to land a top striker, and Podolski is looking to share these goals. He’ll also have benefited from getting a year in the Premier League under his belt and will be more acclimatised to English football.

All in all, I feel Lukas Podolski is looking to impress next season. He wants to increase his goals tally and try to end Arsenal’s trophy drought. The German still thinks he is playing in the prime of his career and I personally think he will beat the odds and go on enjoying a fantastic spell in the Premiership.

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