Tuchel relieved to see Borussia Dortmund return to winning ways

Thomas Tuchel was delighted to see Borussia Dortmund return to winning ways against Stuttgart after recent defeats against Hamburg and Krasnodar.

The hosts triumphed 4-1 at Signal Iduna Park as Gonzalo Castro’s opener was added to by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s double and an own goal from Georg Niedermeier, with Daniel Didavi grabbing what proved to be only a consolation for Stuttgart.

“Overall, I am very happy with this important win,” Tuchel said after Dortmund consolidated second spot in the Bundesliga.

“We were aware of Stuttgart’s attacking strength and had a clear plan how to defend against them with intensity.

“The opening goal gave us some extra certainty. Spaces were too big before that. We worked hard to get into the game.

“We defended very well in the second half and did not allow them any chances.”

Tuchel opted to bench Mats Hummels for Sunday’s encounter, but was quick to stress the defender was rested rather than punished in the wake of claims that he is unhappy at the clu.

“We had already planned to rest Hummels, although I almost had second thoughts after all that’s been written about him,” Tuchel added.

“It was a great feeling to send someone on with the quality of Hummels.”