Klinsmann to Stick to Youth Policy

Sticking to the old adage of "if you're good enough you're old enough", Klinsmann deflected criticism that his policy of using younger players was creating problems for the national team. Germany defeated South Africa 4-2 in Wednesday's friendly at the Weserstadion in Bremen and minus 35-year-old goalkeeper Jens Lehmann, the team had an average age of just under 23.

"As Otto Rehhagel used to say there is no such thing as old and young players but good and bad ones," explained Klinsmann. "If the young players are better they are going to play."

Klinsmann handed full debuts to 19-year-old duo Patrick Sinkiewitz and Marcell Jansen despite limited experience in the Bundesliga. The 1990 World Cup victor felt the gamble was a success.

"Marcell was calm and impressed with his surges forward," declared Klinsmann. "Patrick was also cool and is another alternative in central defense."

Inexperience not a concern

Borussia Mönchengladbach defender Jansen and FC Cologne starlet Sinkiewitz have played less than 30 Bundesliga games between them but inexperience does not concern Klinsmann. "A young team is growing and it will get better and better," he said. "If we look back to August last year then almost all of our players have made progress. It is great fun watching this team out there."

With the 21-year-old Bastian Schweinsteiger, Lukas Podolski and Per Mertesacker, both 20, also in the starting line-up it could almost have been an Under-21 fixture. Although the youth stars have added vim to Germany's attack, the defense has been rather shaky. Mertesacker has caused a penalty in both of his last two matches with the national team.

But Klinsmann has left seasoned internationals such as Liverpool midfielder Dietmar Hamann and Borussia Dortmund defender Christian Worns on the sidelines and it is unclear what role, if any, they will play at the 2006 World Cup.

Poldi power

Germany has benefited greatly, however, from the new youth players up front. FC Cologne striker Podolski woke up on Thursday to find his picture plastered across the newspapers after scoring a hat-trick in Germany's 4-2 friendly win over South Africa.

The 20-year-old Podolski opened the scoring with a delightful chip on 12 minutes and then showed his killer instinct to score twice inside seven minutes to record a first international hat-trick. "Podolski phenomenom," headlined Kicker magazine. "The Cologne star scores three to compensate for shaky defense."

Klinsmann chose to start 'Prince Poldi' on the substitutes' bench for the recent 2-0 defeat by Slovakia and the media claimed it would be folly to do that again. "Super Poldi," declared Bild daily. "Klinsmann, never leave him out again."

Podolski, born in the Polish city of Gliwice, has now scored an impressive 10 goals in 17 internationals.

"It does not matter whether I am in the starting line-up or on the substitutes' bench -- I just want to score my goals," explained Podolski. "The coach told me to go out there and get my goals and it worked. The Slovakia defeat was a setback but we are now back on track."

Too much pressure?

Podolski made his Bundesliga debut at the age of 18 in November 2003 and in the subsequent two years, he has gone from a talented teenager to the next golden boy of German football. It seems the Polish-born striker can do no wrong at the moment but Bayern Munich midfielder Sebastian Deisler -- once heralded as the savior of German football -- insists people must not put too much pressure on Podolski.

"It is irresponsible to hype up young players such as Lukas Podolski," Deisler said. "They get built up and then knocked down later on."

Klinsmann hailed Podolski's perfomance but admitted the younger players all needed the arm-around-the-shoulder treatment. "Some of the younger players do need protecting as they are new at this level," said Klinsmann. "That is why I do not play them all the time as they need to be bedded in slowly."