Bayern Munich director of sport Matthias Sammer believes coach Pep Guardiola has done a good job of dealing with all the speculation surrounding his future.
Sammer gave the Catalan a break on Friday by taking the coach's place at a press conference ahead of Bayern's DFB-Pokal first-round clash with fifth-division side Nottingen this weekend.
In doing so, he took Guardiola out of the firing line after recent squabbles with the German media and former players, who have suggested he will be leaving the Bavarian club next summer.
Sammer suggested he was not necessarily protecting Guardiola, however, and has enjoyed the way his coach has handled the extra attention.
"Of course people are trying to unsettle him right now and, yes, he was a bit wound up lately but that just shows what a fine feeling he has, and I like that," Sammer said. "Everything has been said about the coach's future. We'll continue to work as we have, full of faith in each other.
"He is our coach and he is the director of our orchestra."
Sammer also touched on another of the big discussion points around Bayern this week -- the future of Mario Gotze.
Germany's World Cup winner hinted at a move away from the club in midweek amid reported interest from last season's beaten Champions League finalists Juventus.
"We've got a big squad and it's only normal for one or two players to talk about their situation," Sammer said. "But all the talk about Mario is purely an external discussion. It's got 0.0 per cent influence on the sporting side.
"He still has two years on his contract here."