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Tuchel: "We can improve"

Ross DunbarAugust 5, 2015

Dortmund is out to secure its passage to the Europa League playoff round with a full-house expected for Thomas Tuchel's first competitive match on home soil. But the coach is demanding an improvement on Thursday.

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Thomas Tuchel PK
Image: Getty Images/AFP/P. Stollarz

Borussia Dortmund head coach Thomas Tuchel didn't need for a reminder that his side is still a work in progress. Europa League opponents Wolfsberger AC highlighted Dortmund's defensive vulnerability in the first leg despite the Germans carving out a 1-0 advantage in Klagenfurt.

Jonas Hofmann's first-half strike separates the two teams ahead of the second leg this Thursday, with Dortmund comfortable favorites to progress. In the away leg, Wolfsberg increased the intensity after the break and should have capitalized on some poor defending from the Bundesliga club.

"Better defending from set-pieces remains an issue that is still important," Tuchel told reporters. "We want to build from the beginning tomorrow with pressure. We want confident that we can dominate this match. We expect us to take care of this round."

"We know we're not at 100 per cent yet," added goalscorer Hofmann whose impressive pre-season form and against Wolfsberg means he is in contention for a starting spot.

With an expected crowd of around 63,000 at Signal Iduna Park, Borussia Dortmund will smash previous attendance records in Europa League qualifying rounds. "It's that kind of energy that can power us on," said Tuchel.

Roman to return

BVB Roman Weidenfeller
Title-winner under Klopp, Weidenfeller has to fight for his place under TuchelImage: picture-alliance/ZB/T. Eisenhuth

Tuchel confirmed before the first leg in Austria that Roman Weidenfeller would start in Thursday's return leg. The Dortmund coach has still to make a firm decision on which goalkeeper will be his regular number one this season.

"It's a massive issue because goalkeeping decisions tend to be fundamental to a certain degree," he added. "I want us to be as relaxed as possible because I have great appreciation of both goalkeepers. Both have done outstandingly well."

With Bürki, Julian Weigl and Gonzalo Castro joining the club this summer, the successor to Jürgen Klopp has an extra flexibility in his ranks, a problem that hindered Dortmund over the last 18 months. Tuchel has adopted several basic formations, while retaining the same patterns and ideas.

"That question [on his first choice eleven], I can answer in eight or 10 weeks," said Tuchel. "We need depth at the highest level. Because there are players who can maybe manage the English weeks this season, while for others we have to be careful given the injury history.

"We need to see what happens."