Jupp Heynckes praised Bayern Munich's tactical control of Bayer Leverkusen as the Bundesliga leaders kicked off the second half of the season with a 3-1 at the BayArena.
Leverkusen had not lost in 12 league matches prior to the mid-season break but on their return that run came to a juddering halt at the hands of the Bayern juggernaut.
Goals from Javi Martinez and Franck Ribery put Bayern in complete control and James Rodriguez's sublime free-kick helped secure the points after Kevin Volland's deflected strike had given Leverkusen hope.
However, Bayern were in control throughout and that particularly pleased their veteran coach as they march on towards a sixth successive league title.
"The team played very well tactically and defensively for long spells," said Heynckes.
"After the 2-0 we lost a bit of our concentration and had unforced errors with the ball. But it's just tough to win here.
"Leverkusen is a young and very talented team which played very offensive."
Thanks for the support tonight, fans! Superb, as always January 12, 2018
Ribery's second-half strike was his first of the campaign, and the Frenchman was delighted to have had an impact for the leaders on a tough away trip.
"To score a goal is always nice," he said. "In Leverkusen the game is always difficult.
"They put a lot of pressure on us.
"We have to play better with the ball, but we won 3-1, that was important."
