Thomas Muller admits he was disappointed to find himself on the bench for Bayern Munich's vital Champions League semi-final clash with Atletico Madrid on Wednesday night.
Pep Guardiola's side were beaten 1-0 by the Spanish high-flyers and Muller was left to watch from the bench until the 70th minute, when he replaced Thiago Alcantara.
Bayern were unable to net an important away goal and, speaking to reporters after the match, Muller said of his omission: "I try to cope with it professionally. It does not make you happy, but it's important to realise what is important for the team.
"If everyone who sits on the bench just flips, we can forget about the season."
Saul Niguez's stunning solo effort early in the first half was enough to secure Atletico a first-leg lead to take to Germany next week, where Bayern must overturn the deficit to book their place in the final.
Muller has 35 goals in 50 games for club and country this season, and former Bayern coach Ottmar Hitzfeld believes it is difficult to replace a talent like his in the big games.
Speaking to Sky in Germany, he said: "Muller for Bayern is what Messi is for Barcelona. It is nearly impossible to replace them in the all-important matches."
Guardiola's decision to leave Muller on the bench was roundly criticised by German media on Thursday morning.
"Super solo from Atletico! Poor selection from Pep", read the headline on Bild's front page, while Kicker magazine declared it "risky and wrong" to overlook 31-goal Muller, whom they described as "not only his second-leading scorer but also a leader" on the pitch.
"Pep Guardiola's risky plan didn't work," was the headline on the online edition of daily Die Welt, for whom the exclusion of Muller and Ribery was like "an own goal" for Bayern in Madrid.