Klopp takes positives from defeat

Borussia Dortmund manager Jurgen Klopp is looking to take the positives from his side’s 1-0 defeat to Borussia Monchengladbach.

Last year’s Bundesliga runners-up were beaten by Lucien Favre’s side in the semi-final of the Telekom Cup on Saturday.

Despite the result, Klopp believes that his side played some good football and feels that he has learned a lot from the game.

“There were many good moments where we reacted well, then lost the red thread a little, but that’s not unusual,” he said.

“Gladbach were constantly in the game, with opportunities. We made a lot of findings, about timing, about playing against the ball, not quite up to the level required yet. Not unusual though. Anyway, a lot of findings that we need to work on and we will. And congratulations Lucien [Favre] for making it to the final.”

Dortmund began the game with Sven Bender and Nuri Sahin in central midfield, as Ilkay Gundogan was suffering from “gastro-intestinal difficulties”, and Klopp admitted that it was important to be able to rotate the side in pre-season.

“We are testing,” he explained.

“We need to split up the strain and Ilkay [Gundogan] was ill, he was the first to have gastro-intestinal difficulties, since the day before yesterday he is more or less his old self again.

“That is why we let him play for only one half, or half an hour. We don’t know who is going to be fit at the end, for the beginning of the season. We have to test it with all variations and that’s of course what we do.”

Monchengladbach will face Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich in the final of the competition.