Guardiola delighted with Robben contribution

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Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola believes the quality of star winger Arjen Robben was once again the difference in his side's 2-0 win over the bottom-of-the-table Stuttgart on Saturday.

A sluggish start to the second half of the season has seen the Bundesliga champions come under fire over the last few weeks and although they were not at their best at the Mercedes Benz Arena, they still did enough to ensure a return to winning ways.

Robben scored the opener with a fine strike just before half -time and then David Alaba added a second just after the break with a superb free-kick, keeping the leaders eight points clear at the top of the league.

Guardiola was in no doubt that Robben's opener was the catalyst for win, although he still appeared mindful of the weaknesses of his side, which were emphatically exposed in a 4-1 humiliation by second-placed Wolfsburg last week.

He told reporters: "Robben's quality was the difference today. It was a tough match. 

"As always, my team did a lot of running and fought hard. However, we we're not perfect. There are things we can improve.

"We should be doing less running and using the ball more."

While Bayern's performances may have been inconsistent since the winter break, one constant that has pleased Guardiola throughout the whole season has been the contribution of Alaba.

He added: "David is always fit. He is one of the most important players in our team."