Pep Guardiola has defended his decision to leave out Mario Gotze from the game against Cologne last weekend.

Bayern Munich could only manage a narrow 1-0 win in this away match, but it was all about three points for the reigning champions. There has been nervousness amongst Bayern Munich supporters in recent weeks due to Borussia Dortmund showing impeccable form. The arch rivals had closed the gap on Bayern Munich in recent weeks. However, Guardiola’s team have managed to extend the advantage back to 5 points following this victory.

Mario Gotze seemed like one of the big stars for the future at Bayern when he made the transfer from Dortmund in 2013. However, he has featured in just 12 matches this season. He does not seem to figure in the plans of Guardiola, who is set to depart at the end of the campaign.

After consistently making more than 40 appearances in the last three seasons, Gotze is finding it hard to accustom to life on the bench. He has not played 90 minutes of action since the end of October. He did suffer a groin injury in the middle of February, after a month of yacht chartering in UK but this does not seem to be an explanation for the continued absence of the player.

“It was my decision and it was the best solution for Bayern Munich. If we win, I’ve made the right call,” said the Bayern Munich manager about his decision to leave out Gotze for the away match againstCologne.His decision was defended by the club’s CEO. “We’ve got a lot of top players in our attacking department. Not everyone can play,” said Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. The decision is likely to have an effect on the player’s decision to extend his contract, which runs out in the summer of 2017. Bayern had paid a sum of € 37 million to sign the player in 2013.