Former Inter and Arsenal striker Lukas Podolski picks Mikel Arteta’s playing style over Simone Inzaghi’s but feels the Gunners ‘don’t have’ a strong centre-forward like Nerazzurri star Marcus Thuram.
Inter and Arsenal meet at San Siro on Wednesday and their former striker Podolski previewed the game in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“Arteta’s playing style attracts me,” said the former Germany international, who is still under contract with Poland side Górnik Zabrze.
Podolski had shared the Arsenal dressing room with the current Gunners coach.
“He was already obsessed with football [as a player],” said the striker.
“He continuously talked about tactics and game situations. Sometimes, we wanted to relax in the dressing room, but for him, only football existed. He already had a special and different point of view. I’m not surprised Arsenal play this way.”
Podolski picks Arteta over Inzaghi but Arsenal ‘don’t have’ a striker like Thuram
So, who would he pick between Arteta and Inter boss Inzaghi?
“It’s hard to choose,” Podolski admitted.
“Inzaghi’s philosophy is clear to everyone, but I must pick a playing style; I’ll go for Arteta’s. I love what he transmits when the Gunners play football.
“Arsenal have done great things in recent years,” the 39-year-old continued.
“They haven’t won the Premier League, but they’ve played good football and continue to do so. It will be a top game, not a classic league phase match. It’s worth much more.”
Nevertheless, Inter remain one of the best clubs in Europe. Last year, Podolski said that only Manchester City and Real Madrid were superior to the Serie A giants.
“Now, I’ll add Barça and Bayern, then there are the Nerazzurri. They can easily qualify for the Round of 16. They are strong up front.
“I’ve known Thuram since he played in Germany, but now he’s a proper striker,” he added.
“It’s not easy to steal the show from Lautaro. Inzaghi has no problems fielding the team; this is Inter’s strength: having two excellent starting strikers.
“Arsenal don’t have a striker like Thuram. They have Havertz, but he’s not a real No.9.”
Podolski said the Frenchman would be the key Inter player on Wednesday and picked Bukayo Saka for Arsenal: “A born dribbler.”
Lautaro Martinez ranked 7th in the 2024 Ballon d’Or but did not hide his disappointment.
“I’ve never cared too much about individual awards,” Podolski argued.
“There is a lot of politics surrounding who judges it. In the past, other players deserved to win the Ballon d’Or, but that never happened. To me, the collective counts, and Lautaro is a top player.”