Podolski Closer To Exit Door

Lukas Podolski appears to have pulled a “Robinho” after declaring publicly last week that he is unhappy at Bayern Munich due to his lack of playing time on the pitch and he could now find himself spending even more time off it.

The 23 year old signed for the Bavarian giants back in 2006 and he has so far failed to nail down a regular first team place, despite being a near automatic first choice for his country.

His outburst is unlikely to change the situation at club level as head coach Jürgen Klinsmann continues to leave him on the bench in preference of Miroslav Klose and Luca Toni upfront.

And Klinsmann’s words during a press conference regarding the issue did not sound particularly too supportive of the player.

“Podolski has to compete with two giant strikers and he has yet to demonstrate that he is better than them,” he was quoted by Marca.

“To become a great player, like those two strikers, is a long process that requires time. And in Podolski case, we are talking about months, even years.

“It is an unpleasant situation for Lukas because he will never be happy being a substitute,” Klinsmann explained.

Real Madrid have been lined up as favourites to land the Polish-born star but with Manchester City also supposedly interested in the youngster, Los Merengues could lose out if they maintain their present stance not to sign any new players during the winter transfer period.

KS Leong

Bayern finally secure victory

Bayern Munich secured their first win of the new Bundelsiga season with a thumping 4-1 home victory over Hertha Berlin.

Luca Toni, Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Miroslav Klose all got on the scoresheet for Bayern, with Marko Pantelic netting a late consolation.

Bayern coach Jurgen Klinsmann told the club's official website: "We went out and did exactly what we set out to do.

"We wanted to put them under pressure right from the start and we worked very hard throughout to grind them down bit by bit.

"We wanted to let the ball do the work and play one-touch football. We did that very well, especially in the first half-hour and also for spells of the second half."

In the day's other game Stuttgart ran out 2-0 winners at home to Hannover, with Mario Gomez and Pavel Pardo the goalscorers.

Borowski: I Can’t Wait

Bayern captured the German international from Werder Bremen and alongside keeper Hans-Jörg Butt he is the only real arrival at the club this summer.  

Having represented Germany at the European Championships, Borowski is keen to get going at Bayern after many years service at Werder Bremen.  

"After twelve years in Bremen, I was looking for a new challenge.  I want to win medals and celebrate triumphs" he told the club's official website.    

 "Bayern are one of the best clubs in the world.  I don't think you should be mulling it over for long if offered the chance to come here" he added.  

The 28 year old has also confessed that he was delighted to discover that his former national team mentor Jürgen Klinsmann would his trainer for the coming season.  

"You obviously take something like that as the icing on the cake. Naturally, I was happy and began looking forward to the challenge even more.

"We should set ourselves the goal of doing better than last season.  We want to give a good account of ourselves internationally.”  

The midfielder is also not daunted by the fact that Bayern already have an abundance of riches in their midfield department and is confident that he will be able to cement a place in the team.  

"You have competition everywhere, although the pressure might be a little heavier here.  I knew about it before I signed, and I'm ready for it.  I'll accept the fight and I'm looking forward to it.

"My versatility has always been a plus.  I can play in the centre, but I've also proved I can operate out wide. I’m feeling really good and top fit. I'm looking forward to getting going” he concluded.