Viduka and Boro on the rise

'Good record'
"I was happy to get on the scoresheet," the striker told uefa.com. "It was difficult in the first half, I thought we were all a bit slow and we played at their pace. In the second [after Yakubu Ayegbeni had given the home team a 36th-minute lead] I thought we had to get at them and get another goal to kill them off and that's what we did. We've got quite a good record in the UEFA Cup for a club who are only in our second season in Europe."

Upturn in fortunes
The mood on Teesside has improved markedly over the past fortnight, particularly after last Saturday's remarkable 4-1 dismantling of Manchester United FC - a result which Viduka believes could have worked against the club in the build-up to the Dnipro game. "It was difficult on the back of the United result as everyone was looking forward to that and we were all pumped up for it," the 30-year-old Australian said. "To come back and play a lesser-profile team is difficult, but I thought in the end 3-0 was plenty against Dnipro."

Tactical alteration
Middlesbrough manager Steve McClaren opted to switch to a 3-5-2 formation against United and persevered with the system against the Ukrainian team, a tactical alteration that Viduka feels has given the club extra attacking options. "We've figured out the best way to play and if we stick to that and get used to the formation then we should get better and better," he said.

Viduka happy
"I enjoy playing 3-5-2, it's good for the forwards. As a striker, the key thing is that you have the runners coming off you and if you do that, it works very well. I want us to play as positively as possible. It's better to watch and to play in as the emphasis is on going forward; let the opposition worry about us and not worry about them so much."