Rose after win: "Köln were the better team with the ball today."
Second-place Borussia Dortmund celebrated their sixth consecutive win at home on Saturday.
BVB trainer Marco Rose and club boss Sebastian Kehl were nevertheless reserved about the result.
BVB trainer Marco Rose and club boss Sebastian Kehl were nevertheless reserved about the result.
| Marco Rose. | Photo: Borussia Dortmund/OneFootball |
Those facts seemed to mean little to both Marco Rose and Sebastian Kehl after a match during which they felt something was missing. The NRW hosts could be described as efficient, yet it was their Rhineland visitors who played with more courage.
Kuoln surprisingly took control of the match in a 4-3-3. Were it not for a disallowed goal and some stellar saves from Gregor Kobel in the early going, the match might have turned out differently.
"We can play better," club executive Sebastian Kehl said after the full-time whistle, "Köln played a good match. They had a good run of form and gave everything until the end. We were more still more effective with our chances and, in the end, deserved to win.
Trainer Rose conceded even more.
"Köln were the better team with the ball today," Rose noted afterwards, "They made it difficult for us. We ran a lot, won some of the duels, and are happy with the victory."
Rose seemed uninterested in discussing the fact that no other BVB head-coach had won the first six league home games of his tenure. Perhaps this had something to do with the fact that, next up for the Bundesliga's 2nd placed team, it's a reunion with Ajax in the Champions' League.
After the humiliation from two weeks back, it's the next home game that truly counts.