No Piszczek surgery scheduled - Hummels, Kehl, Klopp and Kohler on the Donezk match ? BVB celebrates 100 years of black'n'yellow

BVB sporting director Michael denied the rumours about Lukasz Piszczek's hip problems: "There is no indication he will need surgery and in no way a date is already set," Michael Zorc is quoted in kicker. They also have a Piszczek quote from 08/09 when he had his first hip surgery still playing for Hertha BSC. Back then, Piszczek told Berliner Kurier: "Doctors told me if I have no surgery, my career will be cut 10 years short. It was a risky decision, during that time [until his comeback, the editors] I feared for my future." Doctors had told him that surgery could also risk his career, in the end he was out for almost four months. So it is good news that he does not have to undergo such a risky procedure in the near future. Still this makes clear what a severe injury he had. Let's hope that his hip stays intact, because we need Lukasz on the pitch and in good shape.

Mats Hummels spoke to UEFA.com after the match against Shakhtar: "It was a very important goal. To have lost twice in five days is not what we would have wanted. It is a really good sign that we can try and make it into the next round." He also reflected his cross-bar header in the first half: "I was a little bit unlucky that I hit the bar because Felipe Santana touched the ball in front of me so I could not keep the header low and I was forced to adjust a bit." Hummels praised team-mate Mario Götze, who had provided the assist to Lewandowski's first half equalizer: "Every game he plays he is one of the best players in Germany and maybe even in the world. I don't know what more I can say about him. I enjoy playing with him and hopefully he will be playing for us for a few more years."

Skipper Sebastian Kehl was happy with the draw as well. He told UEFA.com: "It is a great result for us given that this is a UEFA Champions League encounter. We are in a great position going into the second leg. The only downside is perhaps that we did not make the most of the opportunities we managed to create. We will play the return leg at home and we can play even better there." Kehl, who turned 33 on the matchday, told derwesten.de: "I had worse birthdays in my life." He also commented on the minute of silence before kick-off: "Before walking out, coach Klopp told us that there will be a minute of silence because of a plane-crash. I heard that many football supporters were on board. That is very, very sad."

UEFA.com also had the after match comments by Jürgen Klopp: "I'm quite satisfied because this is a tough stadium to play in. My team dominated the match and we conceded goals which had nothing to do with any defensive weakness. Twice we weren't focused and perhaps we lost our rhythm at times, but we always managed to come back. The individual mistakes that cost us today won't happen again. When you fall behind twice it's very difficult to win a match. But today we saw everything, it was a very entertaining match and we are heading in the right direction. I felt we were really strong. We don't have that much experience of playing in the UEFA Champions League, but we scored goals which got us back on track. Now it's up to Shakhtar to pass the test in Dortmund. We saw that they played a great match against Chelsea [in the group stage, the editors] and nothing is decided at this point. With regard to the result and our performance, I feel we are well equipped for the second leg."

Jürgen Kohler, Fußballgott (but only on the pitch) and Champions League winner with Borussia commented the draw at Donezk and the defeat against HSV: "Dortmund have put themselves into a good position for the return leg. Besides Bayern, Dortmund, Barcelona and Real Madrid still have chances to win Champions League. In Bundesliga I was surprised by Dortmund's 4-1 defeat to Hamburg. But such results can happen in football. Especially since Lewandowski was sent to the showers. Usually Rafael van der Vaart should have been handed a ban as well. For kicking up a fuss and provoking the red card. Such a behavior contradicts the fair play idea. I knew before the season Dortmund would focus on Champions League. If you win back-to-back championships, you miss a few percent. During last season, the focus was totally on the championship, as they wanted to prove that the title was not just a flash in the pan. Dortmund now has the chance to give Bayern a wipe in the cup. Theyd have looked good at Bayern over the past few years. And they feel comfortable being in the outsider position. Bayern are favorites."

And last but surely not least today is not only Valentine's day but it also marks a very special jubilee: 100 years of black'n'yellow! But Borussia is already 103 years old, you may reply. That's correct but for the first years BVB played in no other colours than blue-white, because these were the colours of the Dreifaltigkeitskirche (church of the holy trinity) of which the club originated. At least they covered the ugly blue-white stripes with a red sash to symbolize their bond with the working class movement. In 1913, the Dortmund clubs "Rhenania", "Deutsche Flagge" and "Britannia" were disbanded and their members joined BVB. And August Busse of "Britannia", later on BVB president, called for a change of club colours. He opted for black'n'yellow, the Britannia club colours. So we have to thank Britannia for our beautiful black'n'yellow jerseys and that they spared us with the ugly sight of blue-white shite! These backgrounds were explained by BVB archivist Gerd Kolbe in Ruhr Nachrichten today.

Steph & Web, 14.02.2013

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