Lukas Podolski is set to leave Arsenal for Italian giants Inter Milan on loan, with the idea being that the German international may join the club permanently come the end of the season.

It’s a move that makes sense for him and not just because of a lack of playing time so far this season.

Podolski was not handed a single Premier League start for the first six months of this campaign, often watching Yaya Sanogo start ahead of him. It was thus a frustrating period for the forward, who has scored 47 goals in 121 appearances for world champions Germany at just 29 years of age.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was unable to get the best out of Podolski, often struggling to fit him into a 4-2-3-1 cum 4-3-3 formation that places high requirements on fluidity in attacking positions.

Podolski has always been a more direct attacker, and although he has often played out wide at international level, his style was ultimately incompatible with Arsenal, whose wide players tend to cut inside and interchange on occasion.

Added to that, he is not an aerial threat, meaning he was unable to function at full utility as Arsenal’s lone spearhead when given the opportunity to play as an out-and-out striker.

It is important to state that Podolski was not solely at fault for his struggles at Arsenal, something the Telegraph‘s Jeremy Wilson suggests, saying:

Podolski‘s problem is not one of opportunity or quality but his own failure to sufficiently adapt his game to the 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 systems that most teams now employ.

Wilson is correct in stating the issue pertains to Arsenal’s system, but he is wrong to lay the blame for that at Podolski‘s door. Instead, the questions should be put to Wenger as to why he signed a player who didn’t suit his own agenda.

Podolski didn’t fit the Arsenal mold, but there are several important qualities that he brings with him to Inter Milan that could make the move mutually beneficial for both club and player.

Firstly, Podolski has mobility, which is something Inter have been lacking in attacking areas of late. The club has plenty of craft going forward, what with the presence of Mateo Kovacic and Mauro Icardi, but most of the team’s pace comes from its full-backs.

The addition of Podolski thus adds a new dimension—speed—to Inter’s forward line.

Secondly, he is an adept goalscorer. This may not have been in evidence towards the end of his Arsenal days, but Podolski is a relatively efficient finisher. This is crucial as Inter have had to do without an in-form Rodrigo Palacio, who has gone missing this season.

Podolski was rendered unable to prove this in the Premier League this season due to a lack of playing time, but his performances in the Champions League, where he scored three goals, were telling.

Alexis Sanchez and Danny Welbeck equalled Podolski‘s record of three goals in this competition, but Podolski only started one Champions League game, while the former two were regulars.

As per whoscored.com, Podolski not only played far less, but he also completed just 1.2 shots-per-game compared to Welbeck‘s 3.5 and Sanchez’s 3. These are numbers that make Podolski‘s Premier League inactivity all the more strange.

It is also important to note that Podolski has often been used on the left wing throughout his career. This is something that makes his addition to the Inter ranks all the more curious. His versatility poses the question: Exactly where will he play for the nerazurri?

Roberto Mancini returned as Inter manager on 14 November 2014, and he is still to find his best team, though recent tactical errors have at least provided him with mistakes to learn from.

In Inter’s last game before the winter break, they drew 2-2 at home to Lazio. Starting the game in a 4-4-2 format, they were overrun in midfield, where Kovacic was playing in a more withdrawn role, and Yuto Nagatomo and Fredy Guarin started the match out of position on the wings.

As half-time approached and Inter found themselves 0-2 down, Mancini introduced Gary Medel for Dodo. Nagatomo reverted to left-back, and the team reverted to a 4-3-1-2 formation. The change worked, as Inter stemmed the tide before coming back to draw in the second half.

The way Inter use Podolski will be integral to the way they line up. The club has lacked width in attacking areas in recent years, with former manager Walter Mazzarri preferring to use wing-backs in a 3-5-2 system.

Now Mancini has dispensed with the use of wing-backs but lacks wingers. In Podolski‘s arrival, this issue is partly solved.

Mancini may now decide to play a version of 4-3-3 with Podolski on the left of a front three. In this situation, Palacio would play on the right, with Icardi in the centre. Kovacic could support from midfield, allowing two of Medel, Guarin and Zdravko Kuzmanovic to hold.

What is more likely, however, is that Mancini learns from the errors of that first-half against Lazio and uses a 4-3-1-2. Mancini used this formation in his first spell at Inter, and it makes sense for him to do so now in his second spell with the club.

The 4-3-1-2 allows Inter to get the best out of Kovacic, who has consistently shown that he is more comfortable when given more license to create.

Playing a solid three of Medel, Kuzmanovic and Guarin in the middle allows Mancini to release the defensive shackles from Kovacic, who is an exceptional young technician.

This format also allows Podolski to play up front where, unlike at Arsenal, he will not be expected to plough a lone furrow, as in this system he would be partnered by Icardi. The combination of Icardi‘s flair and finesse alongside Podolski‘s powerful finishing could be a successful synergy.

Podolski may not have ever truly settled amidst Arsene Wenger‘s aesthetic and tactical demands, but he will fit in nicely at Inter, where there is a more favourable setup for him to enter.

Arsenal fans will also be the first to know what a change in culture can do for a player.

Dennis Bergkamp was a few years younger when he swapped Inter Milan for their club in 1995, having struggled in Italy. Nonetheless, he rekindled his career in London, becoming an Arsenal legend over 11 seasons with the club.

Like Bergkamp, when the chips are down, Podolski tends to come back firing. He did so having failed to make the grade with Bayern Munich, and he should find similar motivation now upon leaving Arsenal.

That motivation, along with a system that suits him better, should see Podolski find his best form once again in Serie A.

from Bleacher Report – Front Page http://ift.tt/1xvqz20
via IFTTT http://ift.tt/eA8V8J