Dortmund want Europe form to spill over into league
By Karolos Grohmann
(Reuters) - Bundesliga strugglers Borussia Dortmund could not have hoped for a better start to the Champions League with maximum points from two games after they crushed Anderlecht 3-0 on Wednesday.
Coupled with an opening Group D win over Arsenal last month, the Germans are now in the driving seat with a perfect record and no goals conceded.
Dortmund are on six points, three ahead of Arsenal, who beat Galatasaray 4-1.
It is however, a completely different picture in the Bundesliga for the 2013 Champions League runners-up. A bad start has seen them already lose three times in six games and concede 11 goals in the process.
According to Klopp, Dortmund played a "near perfect" defensive game against Anderlecht after showing frailties in allowing at least two goals in their last three league games, including last week's 2-1 defeat to bitter rivals Schalke 04 to fall to 12th, seven points off the top.
"I do not know if we have ever won 3-0 away from home in the Champions League. We can celebrate a bit but after that it is all Hamburg SV (on Saturday)," Klopp said.
His team has been struggling in the league with a host of absentees, including their entire first choice midfield.
However, the Ruhr valley club have shrugged off suggestions of a crisis -- the first since Klopp took over in 2008 -- and the players said the results would start to improve in the league.
"We are not stuck in a crisis but just had some bad results," said winger Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
"That is why it was important to win in Belgium. I am happy we won after our derby defeat (to Schalke)."
Dortmund have relished European games in the past few seasons, giving their fans a lot to cheer about with scintillating wins over European heavyweights.
Wednesday's victory sets them up to make the knockout stages for the third year running but the players know that only consistency will allow them to be successful.
"The team wanted to show a reaction and one could see that," said midfielder Sebastian Kehl. "This Champions League win helps us to position ourselves well. But now the time has come to win again in the league as well."
(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann. Editing by Patrick Johnston)
