"Blaszczykowski really impressed me. He was injured but wanted to do an extra test on Friday, knowing about the risk, but now he caused the VfB defense huge problems", BVB coach Jürgen Klopp said after the 3-0 win against VfB Stuttgart. But the coach did not only have praise for Kuba, he also mentioned Lee and Hajnal and talked about tactical options.

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Full steam ahead: BVB coach Klopp...

Herr Klopp, who was the Player of the Match for you - Tamas Hajnal or Jakub Blaszczykowski?
Jürgen Klopp: "Both were really good against Stuttgart in their own ways and Hajnal made it in the end. But Blaszczykowski really impressed me. He was injured but wanted to do an extra test on Friday, knowing about the risk, but now he made it very, very difficult for Magnin with his constant fast-breaks and his great ball control."
It must have hard to believe for you how many huge holes Kuba was able to tear into the VfB defense...
Klopp:"Yes, certainly. We played a classic 4-4-2 with Kuba as a striker because Alex Frei cannot play the full 90 minutes yet, but in a way Kuba was an aggressive right-winger. Jakub caused massive problems to the VfB defense. I had planned to substitute him relatively early in the match, but that wasn´t possible since both Nelson Valdez and Tinga had to be taken off due to muscular problems. What I liked most about Blaszczykowski was the fact that although he worked so hard in offense, he still found time to work in defense as well, he never stood still."

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...during the 3-0 win against VfB.

Young-Pyo Lee seemed to be ´on stand-by´ in the first half of the cup match against Berlin (2-1 in extra-time). What happened to him since then?
Klopp: "He has improved a lot. Sometimes foreign players need some time to get accustomed to their new clubs and their teammates and find back to their old strength. Sure I can communicate with Lee in English, but he´s not exactly a great small-talker. The boy had to find his self-confidence on the pitch and he was fantastic in the extra-time of the Hertha match already. We were actually joking on the bench: If the match goes over 160 minutes, then he will decide it single-handedly."
You installted the ´midfield diamond´ against Berlin and used it again today against Stuttgart. Is that the future of the BVB midfield?
Klopp: "It just makes sense to stick with the diamond now. However, it shouldn´t be our only system because we would lack flexibility then. I need to keep it flexible. For other situations and other opponents this season."
On Thursday you have the UEFA Cup 2nd Leg at Udinese Calcio on the agenda. What can we expect after the disappointing 2-0 in the first match in Dortmund?
Klopp:"Should we score the first goal, then it will be a tight match. The Italians played a great match here and seemed to be really cool. But I can assure you that we are not going on a fun trip. We have not given up yet and will try everything possible on Thursday night."
Source: ruhr-nachrichten.de
Author: Sascha Fligge
Translated by Chris Schuepp