Robben is mind-blowing – Guardiola

Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola has taken the time to praise Arjen Robben in the wake of his sublime performance in the 4-0 Bundesliga win over Cologne on Saturday.

The Netherlands international made his comeback after a seven-week spell on the sidelines due to injury and capped a fine outing with a goal to set the ball rolling for Bayern.

“He’s got this nose for goal, the right mentality, professionalism, charisma. And he has mind-blowing quality in one-on-ones,” Guardiola told the official Bayern website, before warning that the Dutchman still needs match rhythm.

“He was injured for the last three months of the previous campaign. He’s just made his fourth [Bundesliga] appearance of this season. He needs more time.”

Robben himself, meanwhile, was delighted with his return to action after several weeks of inactivity.

“I’m so happy about returning to the pitch. I even played from the start, which was a surprise,” he commented.

“It’s a nice reward for the hard work. It wasn’t easy being forced only to watch and to work my way back. But I’ve done it again. I’m back. Hopefully it’ll carry on now.”