Can Podolski be played through the centre at Arsenal?

So due a rash tackle from Olivier Giroud, Arsenal, it seems, are likely to face the next 3 league matches without their main sole striker. This brings into sharp focus our alternatives, given the vital nature of the next few weeks for our Champions League aspirations. We have a set system Wenger seems unwilling to tinker with, and that system requires, in normal circumstances, a sole striker comfortable with his back to goal. A striker with the strength to hold the ball up and bring others into play, notably our 2 wide players and the central attacking midfielder.

This being the reality, there will be some serious soul searching going on at Colney this week because none of Podolski, Gervinho or Walcott are truly strikers in the same mould as our Marmite Frenchman. Wenger must decide whether to fit a round peg into the square hole left to be filled by Olivier’s absence or to tweak the system/tactics.

This however is not a blog in which I intend to second guess what ‘Le Boss’ may do, but more to consider what he might do with Lukas Podolski. This is however slightly complicated by the story that Podolski is carrying a minor ankle injury which will require surgery in the summer. Does this affect his mobility? It is hard to say as he looked exceptionally sharp against Norwich for 20 minutes, but strangely sluggish against Fulham. Many fans have surmised that it is the ankle problem which has caused Wenger not to start him in the EPL since January, whilst the press have decided he has fallen out with the German and aims to offload him at the first opportunity. Wenger has strongly denied there is a rift and has gone out of his way to issue statements via the club site to the contrary.

Whichever is the case, from in the pub before the games, in the ground and on social media, one thing is abundantly clear and that is that most fans want him to play a more active role, and I would contend that most recognise him as our most natural finisher. Indeed, I might go as far as to say that no one else in our squad would have scored the goal he scored against Norwich. I would go further and say that it never crossed my mind that he did not know exactly what he wanted to do when he received the ball and how he intended to do it.

So is the issue here simply that Wenger wants to persevere with Wilshere at CAM and has to move Santi to the left to accommodate him in that role? If so, I am against it as Jack is far better in my view as the box-to-box player. A role that Ramsey is playing particularly well at present. There is no doubt Santi has the creativity for the left wing position but he is reluctant to get close to the main striker, and become the second attacker in the box when the attacking play is coming from the right. I would personally prefer Santi back where he has played most of the season and let Jack and Aaron compete for the role just in advance of Arteta, leaving Lukas free to return on the left. None of this of course addresses Wenger’s new dilemma.

So the question is will Wenger do what he has threatened to do as recently as the 14th of April:

“Podolski was injured when we played at Bayern and won,” the boss said. “After that, we won at Swansea…sometimes you have periods like that and I think he can play as a central striker as well.

“I work a lot with him as a central striker at the moment. He is a quality player and when he comes on you can see that straight away. You don’t get 100 caps by luck.”

Now, I firmly of the opinion that Podolski can play up front on his own and the player himself has been quoted as saying that he wants to play more centrally. I am also acutely aware that many don’t share this view, citing his lack of ability to play with his back to goal and his lack of mobility. There is no question that he can run the channels well and he is far superior to Giroud at swivelling a defender and getting a shot away. I hate to raise it in an Arsenal blog, but many said earlier in the season that Defoe could not play as a sole striker due to his lack of strength and hold-up play. There is no question in my mind that he proved he could.

Podolski often played the sole striker role last season at Cologne, and many of his 18 league goals came when he was solo through the middle. So there is no doubt that he can do the same at Arsenal.