What to say to a player who can't score...

So I'm in my second season of a game with Arsenal. Last January van Persie had been injured so much (played only 6 games by mid-December!!) and my attack was seriously languishing. I bought Podolski (probably for way too much but I was under serious pressure to find someone who could bang in goals) and he struggled to add goals for his first few games. Once he blended into the team though he appeared to be doing ok. When van Persie was well I put him out on the left as an Inside Forward set to attack (where the first half of the season Samir Nasri had averaged about .75 goals per game). He scored a few from there as well.

I expected him to really hit the ground running this year out on the left, with van Persie leading the line, Nasri on the right and Cesc in the middle as a supporting AM. It's now December and he has not scored a single goal. Robin van Persie has stayed healthy (ever since he has been "left out of the cold" for the past year by Holland...this game is more realistic than I thought!) and he and Nasri are each averaging just under a goal a game. But I'm getting nothing from Podolski at all. He has only 4 assists too.

I know I need to sit down and have a conversation with him, but I'm pretty new to the game and I don't know what to say at all. Any suggestions?

EDIT: Two minutes after I post...he scores. But, I guess I could still use the advice for the future anyway. Thanks.

Podolski really struggled for me too. I signed him on a free for Liga ZON Sagres club Leiria and he just wouldn't score. 6 goals in 2.5 seasons.

It really does depend on the player..

I have used "you have faith" at half-time to the striker on a drought who has fluffed several good opportunities in the first half with good effect. I've also used "expect a performance!" pre-match on a couple of stikers on drought and had them perform... "disappointing" at half-time has also worked on occasion as has "no pressure" pre-match or at half-time.

I suggest you just experiment, but be aware of the other pressures involved if "expecting" from him such as the importance of the game, the stature of the opponents, etc..

No pressure usually works for me. I don't really notice them not scoring till they're over 4-500 minutes without a goal mind, as I play three up front and rotate so nearly everyone gets a goal a game or near enough.

Try dropping him, but tell him that you're going to do so beforehand, and see how he reacts.

Then sell him at the end of season, seriously.

After 4-5 matches without a goal, strikers tend to miss real sitters all the time, and make bad decisions. They are already on their way to a goal drought then, and I find No Pressure to fix the problem.

What to say to a player who can't score...

If I have a player who is experiencing a goal drought, I drop him into the reserves (giving him advance notice), hopefully giving him the opportunity to bang in a few against easier opposition. Once he's had a couple of good games to get his form back up, and hopefully one exceptional game, I'll try to bring him back into the first team in time to play a league opponent who is struggling or a lower-league team in a cup. Then I can give him the old "pick up where you left off" speech and see how he gets on. I'll try this a couple of times; if after that time he's still struggling, I'll try more drastic measures......