'Dortmund have been decent but not world class' - Klopp

04-Jan-2013 12:25:00 AM

The Schwarzgelben boss has reflected on the first half of his side's campaign, promising that they have learned from their mistakes and will come back stronger

Borussia Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp is satisfied with his team's performances so far this season, but has acknowledged that they have not yet hit their stride.

The German champions currently sit third in the Bundesliga, 12 points behind table-toppers Bayern Munich, but the trainer feels that his men have worked hard enough to deserve praise.

"It wasn't world class, but absolutely fine," the 45-year-old told reporters.

"We laid a solid foundation upon which we can work. We were always a tad bit better [than the opposition] and I assume that we preserved this buffer."

Klopp went on to admit that his side have been suspect defensively at time this season, but is confident that they will have learned their lesson by the time they return from the winter hiatus.

"We do learn from our mistakes. We will accomplish this again. Then we will become an even more unpleasant opponent. For instance, we clearly have conceded too many goals on several occasions.

"If you think about how everything worked out for us the last two years, it's only fair that we finally have to take care of these things again."

Dortmund resume Bundesliga action with a trip to Werder Bremen on January 19.