James Rodriguez 'loses' the battle with Bayern boss Kovac

In one of Bayern Munich's most important fixtures of the season, against Borussia Dortmund, James Rodriguez didn't play a single minute.

Bayern's 5-0 win put the Real Madrid loanee's team back on top in Bundesliga, even though the Colombian failed to make it off the bench.

Having suffered a strain in a cup tie in midweek, many believed his absence to be due to injury, though reports now seem to suggest that the decision was purely tactical.

Bild say that it was a tactical and strategic decision from coach Niko Kovac, with the injury giving him the perfect excuse to pick the line-up he wanted.

The Croatian reportedly wanted more speed and pace in midfield in order to break-up the rigid defensive structure of Dortmund in the transition, selecting Serge Gnabry, Thomas Muller and Kingsley Coman behind Robert Lewandowski.

In addition, the coach feels that the amount of distance travelled in the international break has set James back physically.

The German newspaper report that these were the reasons behind Kovac's decision to leave James out, selecting him on the bench because there was no doubt that he was fit enough to play.

They also say that this is the latest development in the debate over whether Bayern will pay the 42 million euros required to make James' loan move a permanent one.

Chairman Karl-Heinz Rumenigge is keen to do so, despite opposition from club president Uli Hoeness.

"We won't pay 42 million euros for someone who won't play," insisted the latter.

James has played a key role in turning the team's fortunes around since January, but this decision to leave him out against Dortmund will do little to convince bosses to fork out to sign the midfielder.

The decision is yet to be taken, but after a two year loan, the Colombian has a month and a half to prove his point.