Marco Rose pleased with Borussia Dortmund performance after switch to diamond formation

Borussia Dortmund played with a two-striker system under Marco Rose for the first time on Friday. And the BVB head coach was pleased with the way his side adjusted to the formation change.

Marco Rose has been hinting at the use of the diamond formation for some time now. And on Friday, he finally made the switch to the two-striker system. Borussia Dortmund played in a 4-2-2-2 formation during their pre-season friendly against Bologna FC on Friday, with Erling Haaland and Steffen Tigges leading the line. The formation change worked to a great effect, as the BVB players pressed high up the pitch, played with great intensity, created a host of big chances and scored some beautiful goals en route to a 3-0 win.

Head coach Marco Rose was pleased with the way his side played in the diamond formation, and added that more changes in formation could be in store over the course of the upcoming season.

"“The formation is one thing; the principles of play are another. We showed exceptionally good counter-pressing today. The guys covered a lot of ground. We enjoyed the game and created goalscoring opportunities in the diamond formation. I get the impression that the guys are comfortable with it. But it’s not something that’s set in stone. What’s more important is what we make of it.”“I like the diamond because it offers many options. But we want to be flexible. We can also play in the 4-3-3 and when the centre backs come in, we want to be able to play with a back three.”"

Rose also spoke about the Bad Ragaz training camp, and said that he was pleased with the work his side did in Switzerland.

"“I can draw a very positive conclusion. We felt good this week, worked through a lot of topics, always had a good intensity, energy and atmosphere in training. Some of the guys have been gradually returning one-by-one, so we will have a bigger group from Monday. The goal [against Bologna] was for us to reward ourselves for a good week of training. The guys did a great job of that.”"

Rose also heaped praise on Borussia Dortmund captain Marco Reus for the way he has led the team over the course of pre-season.

"“He’s been captain-like from day one, the way he’s embraced training, welcomed the new challenges, pulled the younger guys along. I’m glad Marco is healthy, has been able to recharge and has trained and worked the way he has.”"

Borussia Dortmund begin their 2021/22 campaign next weekend with the first round of the DFB-Pokal against SV Wehen Wiesbaden.

Marco Rose did not want to reveal which players would get the nod to start in the Pokal tie, but hinted that some of the players who have impressed during pre-season will be given a chance. “The guys who have been training over the past few weeks have done very well. There’s no guarantee who will start next Saturday. We might also play in a different tactical formation. But one can assume that some have earned the right to be out on the pitch next week as well,” Rose said.