Borussia Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc has rejected the suggestion that manager Thomas Tuchel criticised the board following their weekend defeat at Darmstadt.
Dortmund missed the chance to go third in the table as a result of a shock 2-1 loss at the Bundesliga's bottom club and both Bild and Suddeutsche Zeitung interpreted Tuchel's postmatch comments as being targeted at the club's top executives.
Dortmund want Tuchel to deliver a top-three finish this season, which would be enough to guarantee them a return to the Champions League next year.
But the form of a young squad has fluctuated wildly as wins over the top two, Bayern Munich and Leipzig, have been mixed with poor results like the one at Darmstadt.
"We have failed terribly here," Tuchel said after Saturday's game. "There has to be a rethink. We're not only what we show against Leipzig and Bayern but also what we show against Darmstadt.
"It would be helpful if that were to get through. I thought that it already had internally."
Tuchel has previously sought to play down expectations this season after losing experienced players like Mats Hummels, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Ilkay Gundogan over the summer.
But Zorc does not believe his latest comments were directed at the board.
"I'm certain that Thomas' criticism was only related to the team," Zorc told Bild.
Dortmund had three teenagers in their starting XI on Saturday, including 18-year-old U.S. international Christian Pulisic and Bundesliga debutant Dzenis Burnic.
Suddeutsche Zeitung reported that Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke left Saturday's game early and Zorc indicated that the performance was nowhere near good enough for a club of their ambition.
"We were never in competition mode -- in some cases they were only jogging around the pitch," Zorc told Bild. "That has to do with a lack of attitude -- no matter who is on the pitch."
Last season's runners-up are fourth in the league, 15 points behind leaders Bayern and still eight points adrift of Leipzig in second.
They next face Benfica in a Champions League round-of-16 clash in Lisbon on Tuesday before hosting Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga on Saturday.