I DO NOT HATE any player in particular on the German squad but I have to admit that I always disliked Lukas Podolski.

This feeling grew after he decided to do the dirty laundry outside his "home" and declared he desire to leave Bayern Munich saying that he wasn't a "bench player".

I understand the kid. NOBODY likes to sit on the bench. But c'mon, if you wanted you could have stayed at Cologne but you wanted to be in a big club. A club that also have Miroslav Klose, Luca Toni and Franck Ribery playing very well together.  

I have to say that I admired his respect for Poland after scoring the goals and nothing celebrating but he still needs to change his attitude and stop using the press as a shield to vent his frustrations!

Here is the statement I'm taking about: 

Munich - Germany striker Lukas Podolski, who has spent most of the season warming the substitutes’ bench at Bayern Munich, has indicated he would be prepared to leave the club if he is unable to claim a regular place in the team. Podolski told Sueddeutsche Zeitung daily on Wednesday he and the club “might have to talk” in April or May if the situation had not changed.

The 22-year-old, signed after the 2006 World Cup from Cologne for some 10 million euros (14.4 million dollars), is second choice behind 2007 signings Miroslav Klose and Luca Toni.

But Podolski said he was “not a bench player” and had received offers from both Bundesliga and foreign clubs for a move during the current winter break.

Podolski is still a regular for the German national side where he has scored 24 goals in 44 games.

“Whether that will help me here or in the long-term elsewhere is clearly open. I am only just 22. I believe I can make a change in my career,” he said.

He added: “It would be stupid to say Munich is great, that everything is going well at Bayern, and then at some point I have gone grey on the (substitutes’) bench.”

However Podolski said he was still determined to be a success at Bayern.

Anyway I'll be cheering for Austria!!! What about you?