Robben caught unawares by Guardiola appointment

Arjen Robben says he was surprised by Pep Guardiola’s decision to come to Bayern Munich, seeing it as a coup for the Bundesliga outfit.

Bayern announced earlier this week that Guardiola would replace current coach Jupp Heynckes at the end of the season, ending speculation the Spanish trainer might head to the Premier League after his sabbatical.

The move caught many unawares and Robben revealed he was no exception when he spoke to reporters after Bayern’s 2-0 win over Greuther Fuerth.

“I was surprised, also because it happened really quickly,” said the 28-year-old Dutchman.

“One day before he signed I read that he was looking forward to working in the Premier League. A day later he signed at Bayern. It was surprising but good.”

Bayern lead the Bundesliga by nine points from second-placed Bayer Leverkusen and several of Robben’s team-mates, such as defender Daniel van Buyten, have stressed the team need to avoid being distracted by the news.

“We are proud, because he (Guardiola) is one of the best, maybe the best coach and he chose the best club,” the Belgian said.

“But this is in the future. Now we want to deliver a good second half of the season. We do not want to speak a lot about the future.”

This was a sentiment endorsed by Thomas Mueller, who also stressed caution against over-optimism.

“Everyone says that Guardiola is good for the Bundesliga and FC Bayern,” the Germany forward told journalists.

“But nobody knows how good the results will be.”

Bayern have 45 points from their 18 league fixtures this campaign.