Bayern Munich boss Pep Guardiola has rejected suggestions his mission at the club has failed, saying: "It's been a super season."
Guardiola, who replaced Jupp Heynckes at the Allianz Arena after the club's Treble-winning 2012-13 season, has already secured his second consecutive Bundesliga title with Bayern but their cup hopes have been dashed in recent weeks.
Bayern first saw their hopes of retaining the DFB Pokal come to an end with a penalty shootout defeat to Borussia Dortmund in the semifinals, and they look set to exit the Champions League after losing the first leg of their semifinal 3-0 away to Barcelona.
The defeat at the Camp Nou has sparked a new wave of criticism in the media, predominantly aimed at the former Barca boss, who oversaw a 5-0 aggregate defeat to Real Madrid in last season's Champions League semifinals.
Die Welt said that "Guardiola's mission is in danger of failure," arguing that he has not been able to keep Bayern among the very best teams in the world, while FAZ argued that his time in Munich is on the verge of turning into a "small intermezzo" -- or interlude -- in the long history of the club.
Frankfurter Rundschau, meanwhile, said Guardiola remained "most probably the best coach in the world" but suggested there may be a rift with the players, and added: "There were signs of disintegration not seen since [Jurgen] Klinsmann's defeat with Bayern in the same stadium."
It added that "the consequences that defeat had are well known," with Klinsmann having been sacked soon afterwards.
Addressing the media at his news conference in Munich on Friday, Guardiola defended his record.
"There will always be pressure at a big club," he said. "I accept that. I also want to win everything, but sometimes it's not easy.
"It's been a super season. How often have Bayern won the Treble? Once! Of course, we try to win everything."
Guardiola has had to contend with a host of injury problems this season, which led to the exit of long-serving team doctor Hans-Wilhelm Muller-Wohlfahrt last month.
Bayern have been without David Alaba, Javi Martinez, Holger Badstuber, Thiago Alcantara, Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben for significant periods this season, and Guardiola said: "The players are my heroes. Only I know how difficult this season was.
"We have given it our all throughout the season. We have won the league, and reached two semifinals. You need to be there when it matters in April and May. And we were there. You can sometimes win the Champions League in the last minute, or lose it."
Guardiola said that, after Bayern's season concludes with the game at home to Mainz on May 23, he will hold talks with the club hierarchy to discuss plans for the future.
The former Barca coach has already said he has no intention of leaving the club before his contract expires in 2016.
"When you are on holiday after the Mainz game," he told reporters, "we will talk."