Borussia Dortmund can play far better than they did in their 2-0 defeat at Arsenal on Wednesday and the team needs to learn that results are more important than “perfect football”, coach Juergen Klopp said.
The Germans squandered their first chance to secure top spot in Champions League Group D when they lost in London – their first defeat in the tournament this season – but are still in the driving seat on 12 points after five matches.
A win against Anderlecht on the last matchday next month will ensure that the 2013 losing finalists advance as group winners, avoiding some of the major title contenders in the Round of 16.
“We can play better than that,” Klopp told reporters after his team went behind after only 73 seconds when 21-year-old French striker Yaya Sanogo scored his first goal for the club.
“We have to improve in order to change the situation now. We have to get hungrier.”
The Gunners sealed victory when Alexis Sanchez curled in a wonderful strike from 20 metres to consign Dortmund to a first European loss of the season.
“This was the worst possible start to a game. We were not courageous enough, we did not close down the spaces,” Klopp added. “We need results, not perfect football. We had our good phases but they did not last.
“We played a good penultimate pass but if the final pass was better, we could have caused Arsenal problems.”
Dortmund had won all four previous group games but their fine European run has not spilled over into the league where the 2011 and 2012 Bundesliga champions languish in 16th place after 12 matches.
Plagued by injuries to key players, including a recurrence of an ankle problem for winger Marco Reus, Dortmund have banked on a good Champions League run to balance out their poor domestic form.
“We did not play how we could have done,” holding midfielder Sven Bender said. “Now Anderlecht is not yet in our sights with the Eintracht Frankfurt game (in the league on Sunday) extremely important for us.”
“We have a lot to win and lose there and we have to start showing our good side domestically as well.” (supersport.com)
