Jupp Heynckes praised the hard work and commitment of his players after Bayern Munich battled to a 1-0 win at Hoffenheim on Sunday.
A lone first-half strike from Mario Gomez was enough to earn the Bundesliga leaders all three points against a spirited home side, and Heynckes was thrilled to secure the win despite his side being far from their brilliant best.
"The game today was very difficult," he was quoted as saying by the club's official website.
"The opponent is in trouble. They have played incredibly courageously, aggressively. That was a workmanlike victory - it was not brilliant, it was not glamorous, but in return you get three points."
It was a rare day of profligacy in front of goal for the runaway league leaders, but Heynckes was happy to have secured all three points, insisting it is not always possible to win by a comfortable margin.
"We cannot win with three or five goals every time," he explained.
"We had to roll up our sleeves. It took us a while until the engine was warm. We have not had so many clear chances. In the second half, it was better, since we had the game under control. Overall, we had to work hard."
