“The result is dramatically better than what actually happened on the pitch,” said Jürgen Klopp after BVB’s 4-1 win at Stuttgarter Kickers. In front of a 37,000 crowd, including almost 20,000 BVB fans, his side were given several scares by the third division side between the 30th and 60th minute before marching into the second round of the DFB with an, in the end, convincing and deserved win.

Usually a game is divided into two halves, in this case it was more like three thirds. In the opening 30 minutes, Borussia Dortmund were utterly dominant without looking like scoring. Strangely enough, it was Mkhitaryan opening goal in the 30th minute that tipped the match in Kickers’ favour, with the Stuttgart side creating a host of good chances and even pulling one back to make it 2-1 after Aubameyang had doubled the lead for BVB against the run of play. Borussia then responded well to dominate the last 30 minutes.

Kickers coach Horst Steffen correctly summed up the game when he said: “For long stages we were able to keep the game close, and even an upset seemed possible.” That this didn’t happen was, on the one hand, down to Mitch Langerak who celebrated his seventh win in a cup game for BVB in as many games conceding only two goals in the process. And, on the other hand, it was down to BVB’s new “dream duo” of Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan who gave the Kickers’ defence more than a handful to deal with.

Aubameyang and Mkhitaryan look like a promise for the future

“Both are exceptional players,” said Klopp.  “They are an example of what a summer break and a normal preseason can do.” On Aubameyang, who scored two and created another against Kickers, the Dortmund coach said: “He has incorporated our style of playing, his pressing has become better and he’s always looking to score.” Particularly the second goal, when Aubameyang took advantage of a poor back pass, drew a smile from the Dortmund coach. “He did exceptionally well there. Last season he probably couldn’t have done that. Sometimes it takes a bit longer to learn things.”

Robert Lewandowski is probably the best example of a player needing a bit longer to incorporate the “Klopp system“ before showing his true potential. In any case, the performances of Aubameyang and Mkhitaryan in recent weeks very much look like a promise for the future.

Reus makes comeback – “Marco has added 60 minutes to his recovery”

And then there was also Marco Reus who made his comeback 11 weeks after suffering his serious injury in Germany’s final pre-World Cup friendly against Armenia. “Marco has been training normally for one and a half weeks, and at one point we had to start bringing him on in a competitive match,” said Klopp about the decision made a day earlier. It might have a surprise decision for the public, but not for the team or the player himself. “When you see Marco in training, you would be foolish not to think about letting him play,” said Klopp. “He has added 60 minutes to his recovery, it was a very important test for him.”

After a preseason marred by problems, Klopp’s jigsaw pieces are slowly falling into place. “We are just coming to the end of our preparations, the opposition is already in the midst of their season,” said the BVB coach after the thrilling cup match for which he made five changes to the game against Bayern on Wednesday. “The Supercup didn’t fit in with our or Bayern’s schedule. But next week,” he added, referring to the Bundesliga opener against Bayer Leverkusen, “we will be one step further forward and fresher.”