Arjen Robben has said that he needs more game time to find his rhythm as he attempts to return from two months out because of injury and the Bundesliga winter break.
The Bayern Munich striker came off the bench in the 81st minute for manager Pep Guardiola in a nervy 2-1 win against Hamburg. It was the Netherlands international's first game action since playing in his team's Champions League win against Olympiakos on Nov. 24, where he suffered a muscle pull.
Robben, 32, said he's eager to play more, but is respectful of Guardiola's decisions regarding squad selection and believes he can improve his match readiness in training in the meantime.
"I noticed that I'm getting stronger. I need rhythm, I need games. This time it was only 10 minutes," Robben is quoted as saying by TZ. "Of course [I'd like to be playing more], but this is the coach's decision and you have to accept it.
"I haven't even been in training for two weeks; I still need a little more time, but I will do everything in training."
Bayern's injury troubled season continued when Jerome Boateng left the Hamburg match after 56 minutes. An MRI scan revealed that the defender suffered a serious injury to his left abductor muscle.
Robben, Douglas Costa and Juan Bernat have all been training with the first team since Bayern's first session following the holiday break on Jan. 4, 2016.
Other injured stars at various stages of their recovery include Franck Ribery, Medhi Benatia and Mario Goetze, while David Alaba returned to first-team action against Hamburg after an ankle injury had kept him out since November.
With a Champions League round of 16 tie versus Juventus looming, Robben said that whoever is available for the team will need to be in peak form each time they take the field.
"We must continue to work well and improve ourselves. Juventus will come faster than you think. We need to be at full throttle in every match," Robben said.