There's an anti-Guardiola trend, says Rummenigge

The 44-year-old has been criticised following the club's Champions League semi-final exit to Barcelona but retains the support of his employers

Bayern Munich remain convinced Pep Guardiola is the right man to take the club forward, according to CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.

The 44-year-old has been criticised following the Bavarians' Champions League semi-final exit at the hands of his former club Barcelona.

Bayern won the second leg 3-2 but lost 5-3 on aggregate, with Guardiola's selection and tactical choices coming under scrutiny in the aftermath of the game.

"There is an anti-Guardiola trend at the moment within society," Rummenigge told SZ.

"I am very satisfied with this season. Only recently have people begun to compare every season with the treble of 2013. We've done that once in 115 years!"

Guardiola's current deal at Allianz Arena expires next summer and he was strongly linked with Manchester City before publicly declaring he would see out his contract with Bayern.

Rummenigge says discussions over his future will begin at the end of the season but hopes the Spaniard will extend his stay in Germany.

"We agreed in January that we would talk about Pep's future in the second half of 2015. He knows my opinion. I hope that he stays; he fulfils all the criteria that make a good coach.

"The team is very happy with him."

The resignation of club doctor Hans-Wilhelm Muller-Wohlfahrt has been another unfortunate sidenote to a disappointing end to the season.

He quit after claiming he'd been made responsible by Guardiola for the defeat to FC Porto in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final.

Dante was withdrawn in the first half of that game to add yet another injury to a list that also included Franck Ribery, Arjen Robben and David Alaba, with Rummenigge defending his coach.

"If you knew the details of our injury files you would understand better the thought and emotion of the team. Guardiola had to pay a high price against Barcelona [because of the injuries]."

The CEO also revealed contract talks with Bastian Schweinsteiger, Xabi Alonso and Dante could be imminent, with the three men all entering the final year of their contract.