You wouldn't think it, given that he has just won the title and is preparing his team for the German Cup final against RB Leipzig this weekend, but Bayern Munich coach Niko Kovac needed some good news this week.
He got it on Thursday, when one of his senior players finally came out and backed him in public. Thomas Muller, no less, said this week that he had had enough of the 'miserable discussion' over Kovac's future.
'He has had a tough battle to fight this year, I've never really seen anything like it,' Muller told Sky, and insisted that Bayern's title triumph last season proved that 'the relationship between the coach and players is good'.
Niko Kovac led Bayern to the Bundesliga title and could win the German Cup this weekend
Arjen Robben pours a beer over his manager as the Dutchman prepares to leave Bayern
It speaks volumes of Kovac's current situation that such an innocuous comment could mean so much. Despite leading his team back from a nine-point deficit to claim the Bundesliga title last Saturday, despite successfully overseeing a tough generational transition this season, and despite being on the brink of the domestic double, the Croatian coach is still apparently not safe in his job.
Throughout the season, even as Bayern went from December to May suffering only two defeats, there has been the faint sound of grumbling about Kovac's leadership. Senior players have publicly moaned about his defensive style, as Robert Lewandowski did after defeat by Liverpool in March, and privately demanded that the club hierarchy overrule selection decisions, as Arjen Robben allegedly did last week when he found out he would not start in his final Bundesliga game.
This week, as Bayern look to crown a difficult season with another trophy, Lewandowski and other senior dressing room figures reportedly called a team meeting in which they vowed to win Saturday's final against RB Leipzig. Kovac and his coaching staff were not present.
Nor is it just the players. While Bayern president Uli Hoeness has backed Kovac, CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has made no secret of his coolness
