Schweinsteiger: I’m thrilled for Poldi

Wednesday’s live online chat session with Bastian Schweinsteiger on the FCB.tv German language site attracted an astonishing 400 questions in just 20 minutes, as Bayern fans quizzed popular midfielder Schweini on subjects ranging from his knee injury to his taste in music. fcbayern.de presents a selection of the Germany international’s answers.

Bastian Schweinsteiger on…

…his knee injury: “I’m going to wait for the results of my latest medical. We’ll know more after that, but it’s looking pretty good. Fortunately, the media speculation [of a serious injury] was wrong. I don’t think I’ll be out for very much longer.“

…a new rival in midfield, his great mate Lukas Podolski: “The papers alleged we would end up trading blows, but that’s naturally not the case. I sent him a text after the Cyprus game. He played extremely well and gave the right answer to his critics. Actually, in my opinion he was filling the role behind the front men. I’m thrilled for him, I’m delighted he’s playing to his potential again. I have no problem with competition for places. We’ve always gotten along really well.“

…the atmosphere at the stadium: “The atmosphere is very important. As a player, the crowd’s support frees you mentally and you’re less cautious, you take more risks. Fans shouldn’t boo and whistle the minute things go wrong. Just look at England. Even when it’s not going so well, the fans hardly ever boo, they get behind their team.“

…the best moment in his career to date: “The World Cup last year. We lost 4-1 to Italy in the build-up and very few people thought we’d get anywhere in the World Cup. Showing the world how different it could be was certainly a highlight, as was the event itself. The fans came out onto the streets and celebrated our performance. Overall, it was a great thing for Germany as a nation.“

…his idea of a perfect weekend: “Sleep in, go for breakfast and then simply do nothing. We travel a lot, so you’re delighted just to spend time at home. Or maybe going to a Wellness hotel, that’s good too.“

…Italy as potential Euro 2008 group opponents: “I really wouldn’t mind being drawn in a group with Italy. I like the chance of revenge against teams who’ve eliminated or beaten us.“

…the situation in the Bundesliga: “We’re top and we want to extend our lead. We didn’t play particularly well in our last two matches, so it’s important we win again at the weekend. The world will look a lot better if we manage that. But I’m not especially concerned in any case, because I know the quality we have in the team.“