Kuba: We're finding our groove

By FOX Sports Staff

Dortmund fell to a 1-0 defeat against Cologne at the Rhein-Energie Stadium with Daniel Royer grabbing the only goal of the game in the 74th minute with Blaszczykowski missing a penalty and Nuri Sahin hitting the post. 

Blaszczykowski admitted that the result was not ideal but was happy with the way the match helped them get into rhythm of the season two weeks after the winter break.

"It's down to experience," Blaszczykowski told Bundesliga's official website, "The longer you play football the easier it is to reach the next step.

"They're a tough team, but we know we have quality and potential. It's great that we have so many good players."

"[It] was a poor game", he firmly believes both he and BVB are on the right track. "It's just like what happened last year. We're gradually finding our rhythm again and it's thanks to our preparations,"

Manager Jurgen Klopp used the game to give 17-year-old Marian Sarr and Sahin a 90-minute run-out, while regulars Mario Götze, Marco Reus, Robert Lewandowski and Ilkay Gündogan all clocked up 30 minutes in the game.

The coach was upbeat despite the defeat.

"I saw a lot of good things and a couple of not so good things," said the 45-year-old told Dortmund's official website, "I wanted stability and we had that, apart from one moment [which led to Köln's goal]. It was a typical game: the opposition sat back and we had to be creative."

"He´s still only 17," said a delighted Klopp about the centre back who put in a solid performance. "This was really good."

Dortmund are currently third in the Bundesliga table and will face second-placed Bayer Leverkusen in a crunch match this weekend.