Podolski could not understand why Wenger didn’t like him

Every Arsenal fan has believed that Arsene Wenger has always had a problem with Lukas Podolski because he has never given the German international an extended run in the Gunners first team, despite being our most consistent goalscorer for the last few years.

Now that Lukas has gone out on loan, he has only confirmed that he felt exactly the same, and could never understand what he had done to upset the manager. “He said nothing to me. He did not call me or say goodbye,” Podolski was quoted as saying on ESPN, and he explained his situation in some detail.

“I don’t need flowers or a kiss from him. But it is about respect, about saying goodbye. For me respect is important.

“I did everything for the club I possibly could have. I don’t believe I did anything wrong. I did not get drunk in a club.

“I wish all of Arsenal and their amazing fans the very best for this season and I see myself as a Gunner. Nothing from him to me, though, but that is his way.”

“I don’t want communication every day as I am a professional. You do it on the training ground, but when you move somewhere, you get a message. Maybe he had other problems with me but I don’t know.

“He told me he did not want me to go just before the transfer window but never said anything else after that. I had to move forward. I could not wait for 25 injuries.

“It is not a problem to sit on the bench. Absolutely not. When you have three games in a week and you don’t play, you have to think about it, though.

“Maybe I made mistakes, I don’t know. I trained well and wanted to play.”

Podolski’s finished off by telling us exactly when he knew that he was banging his head against a brick wall when he was finally given a chance against Galatasaray in the Champions League when he scored twice in a 4-1 win.

But yet again he was parked back on the bench, and in fact has only started two games this season even though in Wenger’s words “the squad has been decimated”. It seems like Wenger wanted him to force a move away.

“If I had been given a run of five or 10 games and played really s***, then I could say ‘fair enough, I am not good enough’,” .

“I don’t say I should have played every game. When you have three games in a week and sit all of them on the bench, this is not fair.

“I was happy at the club. I played 82 games and scored 31 goals plus assists. That’s not bad. But when you don’t get a chance you cannot show what you can do – and the last five months I hardly played.

“Wenger said to me I was the best finisher at the club. Let me play, then. If you always play 10 or 15 minutes, you can show nothing. I was coming on at either 0-0 or 2-0 or 3-0 down.

“My team-mates were asking me what was going on, but this is the life of a footballer.

“The big moment was after the Champions League game. I played a very good game against Galatasaray and then I was on the bench again. I knew I had to move.”

It is very revealing that even the other Arsenal players couldn’t understand why Wenger didn’t play him, and just shows that Le Prof doesn’t ever explain his decisions. This is probably one of the most revealing interviews ever with an ex-Wenger player……

Tags Inter Milan Podolski Wenger

62 Comments

  1. just what we dont need. understandable how u feel lukas-really is,
    but other potential incoming players will read that an say- what a w*nker.

    your timings p*ss poor prince- think u know this aswell
    shots fired!

    1. heres hopin gundogan,khedira or any others dont speak to the ever popular ‘princei’

      dammit wenger 2 min convo an a handshake was no biggie

    2. They will read this and think, wow – i dont want to play for Wenger, resulting in Wenger sooner than later leaves Arsenal. THEN the players come, because every manager on world class level (aka where a club with the size of Arsenal should pick from) knows how to deal with players.

      June 2014: Yay, Wenger won the FA-cup, but he’s not close to the same Wenger he used to be. Time for change, #WengerOut.

      After Fabregas got rejected: Wow, what is he smoking? Forever a #WengerOut. Will never forgive WENGER for letting Fabregas go to Chelsea, when he first decided that he wanted to move back to london.

      After signing Welbeck and no other on DLD after having not filled the most needed possitions earlier in the window – forward and CB/CDM: Wow, it’s like he’s not even trying to take the club one step up from last season.

      The performance of the following 4 months: He’s definetely not even trying to take the club one step up. He will no longer be able to surprise me with his horrible managing.

      Letting Podolski go was the right thing to do for Podolskis carreer, but in the first place to put Poldi in this situation is just poor managing. He’s.. a manager I out of malice would wish upon Tottenham to be stuck with for the next 8 years.

    3. Bro, there is no special time to tell the truth or speak your mind, anytime is just about the right time. I don’t give A F***K ABOUT what anyone else thinks, but a grown man has factually spoken his mind, and grown men must consider what he’s said.

      1. disagree bro, people will think wengers a w*nker after reading poldi’s words.
        could put new players off

        1. Poldi’s words could “put new players off”?????? What should he have said? What’s this got to do with “imaginary” new players?

  2. If Podolski thinks that Roberto Mancini is better then AW his very much mistaking but he will get more games under the Italian, to begin with anyway.

    1. Hello there bro. Thanks. Been very busy lately and frankly, I havent really had anything to say as such. Except that I am not happy with the way podolski has been treated but then articles have been written about this so I just passed. But thanks for checking up on me anyway.

  3. The Wenger- Poldi deal goes back
    to the Galatasary match. The team
    went to a karaoke club to celebrate.
    Wenger got up and sang a couple of numbers
    and got a great cheer from the lads.
    Wenger sat down next to Poldi and said
    “reckon I looked like Julio Iglesias
    and sounded like Pavarotti”.
    Lucas replied ” reckon you looked like a pissed Mr Bean
    and sounded like Justin Bieber”
    from then on…… 🙂

    1. I was there and that’s not what happened, what happens in a karaoke club stays in karaoke club but there was a Beaver involved.

  4. Oh shut it.

    Didn’t he just say “give me 10 games, if I play s*ite then okay I’m not good enough”. So that would be his ‘excuse’ if he plays poorly in Italy? Wenger’s being a total douche and serves him right to be exposed in the media.

    I don’t care about his all round game, he gave somewhat 30 goals and 20 assists in 80 games which is a great stat. Better than anyone’s in our current team. Probably the reason he didn’t start games is because in England you just have to run around, aimlessly, for 90 minutes and the fans you can consider you as ‘a good player’. Just like Welbeck.

    1. We really should have an edit button here. What the hell was I writing in the sentence before last.. smh

    2. If you honestly think everyone on the pitch should work their ass off defensively, then you might as well just hop along to the Mourinho-train, because thats where you get your logic from.

      1. Agreed. Look at Real Madrid especially of late. They have players with certain attributes in certain areas. Not everyone on the pitch must be worker bees.

        Some effort to stop the opposition if you just lost the ball and your a forward , of course yes but you shouldn’t be running the length of the field to get the ball back. Because if your team regain possession you will be miles away from your position and where your useful.

        Think they call it playing to your strengths..
        Ozil: very creative midfielder but a gritty Central Defender he ain’t.

        Per: great at getting things down from high shelves but a Central Defender he Ain’t.

        Joel Campbell: top defender but a centre forward he aint.

        Etc

    3. Of course our geniusWenger would play Ozil Caxorla and Wheelshire in this position and they were doing so well time after time.
      What better than insisting on playing unqualified players out of their normal podition and ignoring the valid one.
      Good luck Poldi anyone with a sense of judtice know you were being wronged by the geezer.

    4. Spot on, mate!!! I weep for the English national team. I’m not English but I’ve always wished them well, hoped they will go far in all competitions. England today is s**t, when it comes to football. Their players think they are world-class, when they are actually below average. Where is Luke Shaw? Where is Zaha? Imagine how much we spent on Chambers!!! Imagine how much we spent on Welbeck Imagine how much Berahino could be sold!!! How many English players player in Spain, Germany, Italy, etc? Why aren’t foreign clubs coming for the English? You think it’s the price? Not really. It’s becuz the quality is mediocre while the price is criminally outrageous, doesn’t match the quality.

  5. Bad management.
    “Baaa qui Poldi, you are no doubt ze best finisherrr in ze game, but I will not play you as football is not only about goals!”

    Yes it is, keep it tight at the back, protect and create in the middle, and score ‘goals’ in the opponents net. So I think Poldi was well qualified even though he didn’t run around in circles

  6. It’s unfortunate that a manager of Wenger’s calibre could stoop that low. You would think that he should act like a father figure to the players rather than to reach a level where you dislike a player to an extend that it spills even to the field of play.

  7. Don’t see Poldi coming back after this. If his claims are true then Wenger really f**** this up and acted unprofessionally.

    Good attitude, wicked left foot, and some1 who enjoys social media is how ill remember Poldi. Hope he performs well in Italy so we get a good offer for him (sadly we wont know what the money will be used for, maybe more medicine for our clinic, Diaby and the click need to pop some pills)

    AHA!!!

  8. Staying on team news, does anyone have any news on Diaby’s situation or his where about’s??

    I have noticed he does not even feature on team news anymore.

    The only way Wenger will bring in a decent signing this January is if we get more injuries to key players or get a good spanking. Its no secret, everybody knows!!!

    1. Podolski did not insult Wenger, he used no abusive word at all. We all know everything he said is just about the fact: no one can tell why Wenger hardly played him. Why will you call someone your “best finisher” and never put him on the pitch?

      Like he said, was Wenger waiting for the entire squad to get injured before Podolski could play? You lot say Wenger is the best man manager, that he gives his players enough opportunity to grow or pick form, why did he not do that with Podolski? I’m afraid he suffocate Campbell too.

      Sometimes I really wonder why Arsene acts the way he does: like taking an injured player on loan, like waiting to get whacked 8-2 before panic-buying, like persisting with a player till he collapses on the pitch, injured, etc.

  9. I think wenger is mo evil than mourinho,beware of ppl who pretend to be gud infront of the media bt they do worse thngs behind them. If u stdy hm wel wenger likes to expose a gud image of hmself evrytym he faces the media denyin evrytn. Rimembr last wk he said podolski to inter is a joke,today we hear he didnt evn bid hm farewel. That man is evil.

    1. @ c#ck sucker

      Hahaha 🙂

      Your gonna have to keep missing me boy,
      I’m way too busy reaching the parts your failing to reach
      😉

  10. Maybe he did and it wasn’t of the standard Arsene expects of Arsenal players?

    Maybe that’s why it takes so long to find players in the transfer windows?

    Just sayin..

  11. The end is near for wenger,I can feel it.As each day passes an AKB turns into an AOB.By the end of this transfer window, most fans will have figured out how much of a fraud and clueless manager he is,even those that worship him will be left with no excuses to defend him.
    He should have done the honourable thing and retired after the FA cup win,instead his poor judgement deceived him to continue.

    Is there anything such as the Guinness world record for being the most stubborn person in the world?

    1. Haha man we on the same page. Last yr a time lyk this we sang ‘if wenger fails to win the epl he wil never do it again’ and stil ppl hv faith in hm wah poor arsenal fans!

  12. AW’s behaviour is disgusting he really needs to step away I mean for Christ sake you let Podolski go out on loan an yet your happy with WELLSHITE, Sorry Welbeck how does that figure? maybe Podolski’s overall game wasn’t amazing but at least he an score a goal

    1. Exactly. Just watched the press conference and I feel like crying like a baby.

      HOWWWWWWWWWW Can he say we have enough up front HOWWWWWWWW!???

      2 recognised strikers. 1 decent (Giroud) the 2nd trying (wellbeck). Then there is Baby Akpom and No Goal Joal Campbell (another one trying but who looks better at defending than attacking/controlling a ball)..

      WHAT THE F@CK IS GOING ON!!???

        1. I’m talking centre forward/striker. Not a left Winger/forward as is sanchez. He HAS said so himself.

          You still clinging to the idea we have suffecient Centre Forwards in our squad?

          1. I’m clinging to the notion we will buy a centre forward of pedigree and experience in that position and not have wenger buy/play people where he thinks they should play (out of position).

            .espn.co.uk/football/sport/story/329183.html

            1. If you meant centre forwards then perhaps you should have said so. Man City doing OK with one centre forward – ED. Sanchez is as much a winger as Henry and RvP were – both stupidly played out of position by Wenger. Just what was he thinking, tut, tut.

  13. Boom! Ozil and Rambo back to face Stoke! Get in!

    Lineup v Stoke:

    Ospina
    Debuchy Mert Kos Gibbs
    Ramsey Flamini
    Walcott Ozil Sanchez
    Giroud

    Bench: Szszcesmy, Monreal, Chambers, Coquelin, Rosicky, Ox, Sanogo.

    1. Boom! Carzola CANNOT be dropped from the squad or the first team currently as he is on form.

      Ain’t too sure Ramsey should slot right back in aswell but we’ve seen stranger things happen with Arsene in charge.

  14. Podoski tweets more than he plays but its unfortunate that the ever consistent wenger haters here thinks he is the best. He did nothing meaningful other than the left foot which he was no where to be found when we play properly drilled defensive team.we have better all round players at the left wing and even cazorla and sanchez are miles ahead of him behind the striker.he should on his futbol instead of painting wenger as a bad person.when he was pumping the goals in from the left,he was never dropped but got dropped when his performance was deteriorating bar his occassional screamers.

    1. @Tope, yeah he tweets a lot.So what?You make it sound like he tweets while he is running on the pitch. Podoliski using social media has nothing to do with his football and does not interfere with his football.Most of the time the whole team was no where to be found when they play properly drilled defensive team let alone Podoliski.

      “when he was pumping the goals in from the left,he was never dropped ..” really? He bailed Arsenal during the Anderlechet away game coming from the bench and the next game he was benched, when he was given the chance to play full 90 min, he scored 2 goals against Galatesaray and the next game he was benched.

      And it is obvious that Wenger has favorite players, he played them no matter what their form is like Ozil, Whilsher, Ramsey, Schez, Mert.He is not going to drop them no matter how they have played.Its not because they are good but because they are his favorite players.But when the likes of Podolski and Rosicky showed a great performance they will be benched the next game.

      Its clear that Wenger does not want to loan Podolski and its clear that he is mad that Podolski agree to go out of the club.

  15. I think a “Good luck Poldi, Aha!” text message would have been nice. It doesn’t have to be anything elaborate :/

  16. Podolski was really respectful to the fans and considers himself a Gunner. So lets be fair.

    He has a right to criticize Wenger. Many of us were very confused why Podolski (arguably our best finisher) was getting little playing time. Even Sanogo got more time. And usually the few times he did come on he scored. He scored twice against Galatasaray and then back on bench and very rarely came off.

    He has a right to at least question the manager.

    Podolski is NOT a hateful player. He very polite, fun and respectful most of time.

    Wenger has made so many bad decisions this season
    1. Not playing Podolski, Campbell and even Rosicky enough.
    2. Not bringing back either Vela, Fabregas or Song.
    3. Selling Vermaelen without getting replacement
    4. Loaning of Jenkison and starting season with thin defense
    5. Playing Ozil and Cazorla in wrong positions
    6. Getting Welbeck instead of a Top striker
    7. Not getting quality DM.

    Southampton are good, Liverpool are 4 points behind. It’s not impossible for us to end up 6th place because of Wenger’s decisions

  17. Its amazing how far from objective some of you here are being. Podolski was one of the players who was always professional in all he did. He didnt refuse to train, didnt cause turmoil in the dressing room. It was stated right there that fellow arsenal teammates were asking what was going on yet he didnt make a big fuss up until his departure. How you dont see that Wenger is a fool for not having common decency is beyond me. He was professional and him stating all this now is not going to stop whoever was going to come either way. All it does is shows that our manager is disrespectful.

  18. Wenger April 2007:

    “The values are a bit of human class, distinction, respect for people and ambition to have a certain class in what you do. That’s what I felt when I came inside this football club. There was always fair play, a desire to do things well and respect for basic human values.

    The old Wenger we all knew has long gone!

  19. Gotta love all the flip-floppers on here who will slaughter Ozil for being lazy but say it is OK for the Prince Poldi to stroll around waiting for a shooting opportunity to come his way.

    1. Agreed. Podolski is a great finisher, but doesn’t work for the team enough. That is why he didn’t start games and has now gone on loan. A great impact sub but not a great 90 minutes player.

      Arsenal play an up tempo passing game, which needs players prepared to run. In fact the whole of the league needs players prepared to run, you cannot get away with being basically a ‘goal hanger’ like we called them at school, seeking the glory of a goal but not tracking back and defending with the rest of team.

      Anyone who can’t see Podolski for what he is (impact sub) is playing far too much FIFA.. 😉

      If / when we ever get a balanced team of very high ability players like Podolski will be largely unnecessary, because we will be the invincibles once again!

    2. Im not one of em.

      What I do know is that if you want to buy players, do a proper scouting job and your reserch on them over time and see if they are right for you before later signing and then disliking their lethargic attitude/spirit compared to others.

      Too much to ask?

      I’d rather have a sharp effective instrument that can be incisive when it counts than a blunt instrument that can’t hit a barn door!

  20. Poldi asked if he had a run of games, did Wenger give it to him?
    One bad game, go to the bench next.
    Score a goal or two, go to the bench next.

    Poldi did not ask much, just a run of games. When Wenger gave him, he scored and assisted in his first season here. Chances were limited (he was injured for 4 months) last season, he still got us double digit of scoring. This season? Like Poldi said, he score 2 goals against Gala and what Wenger did afterwards? The bench.

    I don’t believe anything Wenger said…

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