Why appointing Klopp's former attack dog Pep Lijnders could be Man City's best piece of business despite spending £300m

The Irish Sun

24-06-2025

IT could be the most fascinating piece of recruitment in the Premier League all summer.
The
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Pepijn Lijnders has joined Manchester City
Credit: Getty
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He was Jurgen Klopp's assistant at Liverpool
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Lijnders will now be working closely with Pep Guardiola
Credit: Getty
While at Liverpool, the gobby Dutchman was loathed by many rival coaches and match officials due to his penchant for chucking verbal Molotovs from the touchline.
Frank Lampard once called out
In 2022, Lijnders published a controversial book titled 'Intensity' — which some claimed gave away too many of Liverpool's secrets.
So this is no shrinking violet. Certainly not a nodding-dog yes-man in the mould of Phil Neal during Graham Taylor's
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But Lijnders, a 42-year-old career coach who never played professionally, is regarded as a great energiser by players.
And he could be exactly what Guardiola needs after last season's meltdown, when City's four-in-a-row champions failed to win a trophy for the first time in eight years.
Lijnders has arrived at the Etihad, via a
Compared with Guardiola's old coaching mentor Juanma Lillo — who departed at the end of the season, along with fellow coaches Inigo Dominguez and Carlos Vicens — Lijnders is a far more hands-on, in-your-face character.
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City have
To the public, assistant managers — like good old-fashioned children — are usually seen and not heard.
Pep Guardiola joined by daughter Valentina on Man City bench at Club World Cup clash
But on a day-to-day basis, they are usually far more visible than the actual boss man, acting as a vital link between a manager and his squad, crucial to the overall dressing-room dynamic.
Before leaving Anfield last year, Klopp claimed Lijnders had been 'the most important person' at Liverpool during his latter years and said:
'I don't think I have ever met anybody with such enthusiasm and energy for this game.'
Were these just empty brags to help his mate get a job or a genuine reference, which suggests he could aid a City resurgence next season?
What makes a great No. 2? Usually, they bring a contrast to the boss in terms of strengths and temperament.
The finest managerial duo English football has ever known were Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, two-time European Cup winners who led both Derby and
Clough was the charismatic frontman, Taylor regarded as the finest talent-spotter in the business and a tactical genius.
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Lijnders is already hard at work at Man City
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He has been in the dugout next to Guardiola
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Taylor's role in Forest's glories were fully recognised — he has a stand named after him at the City Ground — and Clough was never as successful after the pair fell out.
Similarly, Bob Paisley was the quiet man to his bombastic boss Bill Shankly and highly unusual as a no. 2, who stepped into the top job and was a roaring success, winning Liverpool's first three European Cups.
In the modern day, the dynamics can be very different — sporting directors usually oversee recruitment and there are a phalanx of first-team coaches but the right-hand man remains a crucial cog.
Newcastle's Eddie Howe and Jason Tindall are a classic combination — the quiet manager and the manic assistant — while Gareth Southgate and Steve Holland were a tight 'good cop, bad cop' duo over eight successful years with
Guardiola, though, is more like the only manager of the Premier League era who can boast more success than him — Sir Alex Ferguson, who went through a host of assistants during his 27-year reign at
The arrival of Lijnders is so intriguing because he brings an element of Klopp's 'heavy-metal football' to the more symphonic Guardiola.
Lijnders returned to Liverpool's backroom staff after an unsuccessful spell in charge of Dutch club NEC Nijmegen in 2018, just as Klopp's glory years began and the pair won every major trophy together.
So for Guardiola to hire the other Pep is further acknowledgement of his respect for Klopp.
City lacked energy and purpose during their extraordinary mid-season cliff-dive and Guardiola has reacted with sweeping changes.
The arrival of Lijnders is a direct response to that dropping of standards — City will be livelier with Klopp's attack dog barking in their ears.
Seizing back the crown from Arne Slot's ever-strengthening Liverpool will be a tough ask.
But Pep and Pep are capable of pepping up City significantly.
Nic red alert
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Nicolas Jackson's spot at Chelsea is under threat
Credit: AP
IF you're a striker and your club has just bought a promising young rival for your position, how best to approach the challenge?
Well, if you're
Jackson may be a goal threat but he is also one of football's great loose cannons — banned after five yellows for dissent in his first six Premier League matches.
His days at Stamford Bridge are numbered... despite the Senegalese striker having a contract until 2033.
Fit as a fiddle
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Dan Evans has hit out at players making excuses for losing
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WITH plenty of violin music being played for burnt-out sportsmen, fair play to Dan Evans for calling out the current excuse culture.
The British tennis star says: 'I am fed up with sportspeople who, when they lose, there is an issue.
'Just f***ing shake the guy's hand and say well done.
'Somebody is never better than us — it's always 'we are tired'.
'If you're sick, you're sick. It's part of being a tennis player.
'Tiredness, the schedule — you can take time off. It's not an excuse. You have lost. That's it.'
Music to the ears!
Car starter
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Lee Carsley has guided the under-21s to the semi-finals of the Euros
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LEE CARSLEY'S England Under-21s scored an excellent 3-1 quarter-final win over Spain as they defend their Euros crown in Slovakia.
Carsley's CV is getting ever more impressive.
If he wasn't so unnecessarily nervous in media calls, he would be a shoo-in to eventually succeed seniors boss
Home comforts
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Man City demolished Al-Ain 6-0 at the Club World Cup
Credit: Getty
MANCHESTER CITY fans will be delighted to hear a United-supporting friend is convinced Pep Guardiola's side will win the Club World Cup.
'With all these empty seats around,
How very cruel of him.