Three points: Kawasaki vs. Dortmund

Reasons to be encouraged - possession:

In the first-half of the 6-0 win over J-League cracks Kawasaki Frontale, the noticeable difference in Borussia Dortmund's play was the ability on the ball. It wasn't just transition-focused, but more about controlling the flow of the game.

Thomas Tuchel started with a 4-1-4-1 formation, narrowing the spaces between Dortmund's central players to facilitate a steady possession game in the middle of the park.

Julian Weigl made himself available for the first-pass out from the back; the fluidity of Jonas Hofmann, Shinji Kagawa and Mitsuru Maruoka then offering more penetrative passing angles higher up the field.

Of course, as with everything about pre-season matches, the dynamics will change when Dortmund play competitive football against better-trained and more efficient pressing teams.

But that's not to rain on their parade - the crisp, short passes between midfield and attack, the way Dortmund picked holes in Frontale's defense by moving them around and the intricate combinations were all encouraging developments for the yellow-and-blacks.

Early days, but Julian Weigl looks the part:

Weigl saunters nimbly around the pitch with a languid poise. The 19-year-old, who joined from 1860 Munich this summer, didn't look flushed in Japan and was arguably Dortmund's best performer in the first 45 minutes.

He was 1860's youngest captain during a turbulent period for the Munich club, so he's adapted well to life in the first-team football.

The German youth international adds another string to the bow of Dortmund and Tuchel - he's not quite as combative as Ilkay Gundogan, or as battle-hardened as Sven Bender, but maybe as economical in his use of the ball as Nuri Sahin. Weigl appears to be a mix of different traits.

His positioning was well beyond his years, an impressive characteristic for such a young player to boast. Weigl tended not to dive into challenges and recklessly press close to the man, but instead, his reserved nature was useful in shielding the ball, shrugging off opponents and restarting play.

While he's still young and settling in with stronger footballers, the first signs are positive for Weigl.

Tuchel hasn't been able to hide Dortmund's defensive woes:

It was far from disastrous, but there were examples of defensive play that we've become accustomed to over the last 18 months of Jürgen Klopp's tenure.

Tuchel selected Neven Subotic and Sokratis as the defensive pairing for the first half - and the high-line was initially a cause for concern. Kawasaki Frontale looped the ball over the defense on the transition a handful of times, yet Roman Bürki was equal to the test.

Subotic wasn't able to turn his body quickly to stop those situations, especially when Brazilian Renato threatened in attack. The introduction of Mats Hummels - as a right-sided defender - made a difference at the break, while Lukas Piszczek, Erik Durm and the younger players handled the test well enough.

Do you agree with Ross' three points? What did you think of the match? Borussia Dortmund's second match in Asia is on Thursday against Johor Southern Tigers.