Robert Lewandowski praises James Rodriguez’s talent off the bench

After Bayern Munich's 4-1 triumph against VfB Stuttgart, Robert Lewandowski sat down for an interview with Sport1, where he discussed Bayern's positional struggles.

James Rodriguez and Renato Sanches are apparently exasperated by having to be bench-warmers throughout games under Niko Kovač. Sanches had to spend all 90 minutes of the match against Stuttgart as a spectator, and he quickly left the catacombs of the Arena without a word a few minutes after the match.

The Polish captain believes that it is totally normal for a player to be frustrated about being second-string. He told Sport1,

If we didn’t have any players who were dissatisfied when they didn’t play, the problem would be even bigger. Still, I see that every player trains really hard and pushes himself. That’s the most important thing for me and for the team. When they come on, they’re ready to give their all.

Nobody can sit on the bench and smile at the camera at the same time. There's nothing wrong with being frustrated. What the players have to do is sit there, wait for their turn and give it their best when they get the chance. Lewandowski said,

If I were sitting on the bench, I’d be dissatisfied, too. If everyone who sits on the bench sat there with a big grin, something would be off. They’d be wrong in this case, too. Things can also change very quickly, so that others are have to sit. We need everyone this season.

There are vague rumours that James Rodriguez is unhappy at Bayern because of having to watch the game from the sidelines under the new coach. Although Lewandowski praises the Colombian, he adds that it's important for the team to have a player who can step up whenever and do something special for the team.

He’s an outstanding player. With a pass like the one against Hoffenheim, he can show all his talent. That’s important for us. No matter how many minutes you play. Then you produce something special. That can only be good for the team.

The substitutes are hoping to get some playing time on Saturday when the Bavarians face off Peter Bosz’s Bayer Leverkusen at the BayArena.