Latest news with #Lijnders
Yahoo
21-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Revealed: Jurgen Klopp's warning to Pep Guardiola during summer phone call over Pep Lijnders
Manchester City's Pep Guardiola was issued with a clear warning concerning his new assistant manager Pepijn Lijnders by Jurgen Klopp over the phone earlier this summer. The behind-the-scenes reshuffle at City this summer has led to the formation of an intriguing new coaching unit under Pep Guardiola, featuring familiar names from both the Etihad Stadium and Anfield. One appointment in particular – Pepijn Lijnders – sparked a personal call between the Manchester City manager and former Anfield boss Jurgen Klopp, during which the German issued a message that now adds another layer of intrigue to City's pre-season preparations. Lijnders, who spent six years working alongside Klopp at Liverpool, has joined City following his dismissal from Red Bull Salzburg after a short managerial stint working as head coach at the Austrian giants. Despite his unsuccessful spell, the Dutchman remains highly respected across Europe for his tactical knowledge and innovation. His return to Anfield in 2018 following a six-month period at NEC Nijmegen came with a crucial condition: greater influence. Lijnders made it clear he would only accept a second stint under Jurgen Klopp if it came with significantly more responsibility, including media duties and tactical preparation that reflected a shared leadership model. 'When Liverpool asked me back after NEC, I would never have taken the job if I had just been offered the chance to go back as No. 2,' Lijnders explained in 2021. 'Jurgen made me do press conferences, match discussions—basically everything he did himself.' That desire for authority and active involvement was reportedly at the centre of a summer conversation between Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp as City sought to fill the gap left by three key departures: Carlos Vicens (set-piece coach), Juanma Lillo (assistant manager), and Inigo Dominguez (technical coach). With Lijnders coming in alongside James French and Kolo Toure, the nature of his role and remit has become a significant point of interest at the club. According to The Mirror's Simon Mullock, when Guardiola made a call to Klopp asking the former Liverpool manager whether his former assistant in Lijnders would be a good fit alongside him, the German coach warned he would quickly become restless if he was asked to do nothing more strenuous than put out cones for training. With Guardiola known for his strong grip on tactical detail and training, the dynamic between him and Lijnders will now be under the microscope. While City have enjoyed great success under a compact and consistent coaching structure, the introduction of a high-profile assistant with strong ideas of his own could signal a new evolution. Lijnders is expected to take a leading role in pre-match strategy and matchday management, particularly with Juanma Lillo now out of the picture. In some quarters, it has even been suggested that Guardiola is consciously expanding his coaching team's autonomy as part of a long-term soft transition toward the eventual post-Guardiola era. Meanwhile, Lijnders' arrival could also influence City's tactical evolution across the coming season, with a greater emphasis on pressing structures and wide overloads – hallmarks of his time at Liverpool. The next few weeks will offer early clues, starting with Manchester City's pre-season opener against Palermo in Sicily on 9 August.
Daily Mirror
21-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Pep Lijnders reflects on Jurgen Klopp relationship after becoming Pep Guardiola's assistant
Pep Lijnders has become Pep Guardiola's new assistant at Manchester City, having previously worked closely with Jurgen Klopp during two spells as the German's assistant at Liverpool Pep Guardiola's decision to bring in Pep Lijnders as his assistant at Manchester City could be a match made in heaven - or hell. Lijnders' new boss has a reputation for being a manager who always listens intently to the advice given to him by his backroom staff before ignoring it completely. But Lijnders, the Dutchman who was such an important sounding board for Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool during a six-year period in which the German became the only bulwark between Guardiola and total Premier League domination, is not someone who accepts being ignored. When the 42-year-old was invited to return as Klopp's right-hand man in the summer of 2018, just six months after he walked out of Anfield to become head coach of NEC Nijmegen, he insisted he would only accept the offer if he was given more responsibility. Klopp did what Guardiola must now do at the Etihad by delegating tasks to Lijnders that would have normally come under his remit. One of those jobs was to manage Liverpool in the Carabao Cup - including a tie against City at the Etihad in December 2022 in which Guardiola's team prevailed 3-2. Lijnders explained: 'When Liverpool asked me back after NEC, I would never have taken the job if I had just been offered the chance to go back as No 2. I was given a lot more responsibility. 'Jurgen made me do press conferences, match discussions - basically everything he did himself. He always said 'we do this job together' - and that's really how it was.' It is understood that when he made a call to Klopp asking the former Liverpool manager whether Lijnders would be a good fit alongside him at the Etihad, the German warned that he would quickly become restless if he was asked to do nothing more strenuous than put out the cones for training. Guardiola is a notorious control freak. The churn of backroom coaches during his nine seasons at the Etihad is eye-opening considering City have won six titles in that time. Mikel Arteta and Enzo Maresca were bold enough to stand their ground - and are now the respective managers of Arsenal and Chelsea. At the end of last season, even after losing the respected Carlos Vicens to Portuguese club Braga, Guardiola pressed ahead with his plan to bring new voices into his club. Both Juanma Lillo and Inigo Dominguez departed, with both men still unable to speak English with enough authority to converse freely with City's players. They have been replaced by former City defender Kolo Toure, a hugely popular figure at the Etihad after returning to the club to work with the Under-18s team, and former Liverpool set-piece coach James French. But it was Lijnders who was constantly in Guardiola's ear during the Club World Cup this summer and the hope is that he will re-energise City's squad with new ideas after a season which saw them limp to third in the Premier League and lose to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup Final. The Dutchman also has something to prove after being sacked as coach of Austrian club RB Salzburg last December - just a few weeks before Klopp was officially unveiled as Red Bull 's head of global soccer. One of Lijnders final acts in his last week at Anfield last year was to stand on a barstool in a hotel bar to sing 'You'll Never Walk Alone' in front of a group of Liverpool fans. He might be advised to learn the words to 'Blue Moon.'
Scottish Sun
24-06-2025
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Why appointing Klopp's former attack dog Pep Lijnders could be Man City's best piece of business despite spending £300m
IT could be the most fascinating piece of recruitment in the Premier League all summer. The arrival of Jurgen Klopp's former attack dog Pep Lijnders as Pep Guardiola's Manchester City No. 2 is a crossing of the divide between English football's two great dynasties of the past decade. Advertisement 9 Pepijn Lijnders has joined Manchester City Credit: Getty 9 He was Jurgen Klopp's assistant at Liverpool Credit: PA 9 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 Lijnders' 'arrogance' after a foul-mouthed exchange when Chelsea visited Anfield for a behind-closed-doors league match. 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 England reign. Advertisement READ MORE ON FOOTBALL BACK FOR SECONDS Man Utd make second bid for Mbeumo... and he could team up with Nkunku 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 second failed move into management with Red Bull Salzburg, along with another former Klopp acolyte, James French — City's new set-piece coach. 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. Advertisement JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS City have already shelled out almost £300million on new players this year but Lijnders might prove to be more significant than any of them. 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. Advertisement 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. Advertisement 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 Nottingham Forest to top-flight titles. Clough was the charismatic frontman, Taylor regarded as the finest talent-spotter in the business and a tactical genius. 9 Lijnders is already hard at work at Man City Credit: Getty 9 He has been in the dugout next to Guardiola Credit: Getty Advertisement 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 England. Advertisement 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 Manchester United. 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. Advertisement 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. Advertisement Nic red alert 9 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 Nicolas Jackson and Chelsea have just signed Liam Delap, you respond with a second red card for reckless challenges in four appearances. 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. Advertisement His days at Stamford Bridge are numbered... despite the Senegalese striker having a contract until 2033. Fit as a fiddle 9 Dan Evans has hit out at players making excuses for losing Credit: PA 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. Advertisement '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.' Advertisement Music to the ears! Car starter 9 Lee Carsley has guided the under-21s to the semi-finals of the Euros Credit: Getty 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. Advertisement If he wasn't so unnecessarily nervous in media calls, he would be a shoo-in to eventually succeed seniors boss Thomas Tuchel. Home comforts 9 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, every match will feel like a home game,' he surmises. Advertisement How very cruel of him.
The Irish Sun
24-06-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Why appointing Klopp's former attack dog Pep Lijnders could be Man City's best piece of business despite spending £300m
IT could be the most fascinating piece of recruitment in the Premier League all summer. The 9 Pepijn Lijnders has joined Manchester City Credit: Getty 9 He was Jurgen Klopp's assistant at Liverpool Credit: PA 9 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 READ MORE ON FOOTBALL 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. Most read in Football JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS 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. 9 Lijnders is already hard at work at Man City Credit: Getty 9 He has been in the dugout next to Guardiola Credit: Getty 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 9 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 9 Dan Evans has hit out at players making excuses for losing Credit: PA 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 9 Lee Carsley has guided the under-21s to the semi-finals of the Euros Credit: Getty 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 9 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.
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Pep Guardiola Confirms he ‘Asked for Permission' from Jurgen Klopp Over Liverpool Move
Pep Guardiola's Surprise Move for Lijnders Raises Eyebrows Among Liverpool Faithful Manchester City are once again preparing to make headlines on the global stage, this time representing the Premier League at the newly expanded FIFA Club World Cup in the United States. While Liverpool and Arsenal enjoy a rare full summer off after finishing first and second in the Premier League, City find themselves navigating a gruelling fixture list that could stretch to seven matches. Advertisement Pep Guardiola, never one to rest on his laurels, is using this tournament as a clean slate, a springboard rather than a burden. Not only has he added depth to the playing squad, but he's also made a significant move behind the scenes — and it involves a familiar name to Liverpool fans. Lijnders' Switch Sparks Reaction at Anfield The appointment of Pep Lijnders as Guardiola's new assistant has turned heads and triggered mixed emotions at Anfield. Lijnders, once Jurgen Klopp's trusted right-hand man, is now in the blue corner of Manchester. What has softened the blow somewhat is Guardiola's openness about the process. 'I suggested I was thinking about Pep [Lijnders] and [Klopp] gave me his high opinion,' he told the media. Advertisement Guardiola went a step further in an unusually candid moment. 'I asked permission from Jurgen, of course. I didn't want to interfere. I asked if it would be a problem and he said absolutely not.' Photo: IMAGO It's not every day two of modern football's fiercest rivals share such professional courtesy. Still, that's unlikely to make it any easier for supporters to stomach the sight of Lijnders in a City tracksuit, especially given the historic tension between the two clubs during Klopp's reign. Tuchel Warns of Competitive Disadvantage for City England boss Thomas Tuchel has already voiced concern over City's congested summer schedule, arguing that Liverpool and Arsenal hold a clear advantage heading into the 2025–26 season. Advertisement Avoiding the Club World Cup, Tuchel suggests, will allow both clubs to return to training more refreshed and less vulnerable to fatigue-related injuries. Given that Arne Slot will be looking to build on last season's title triumph, the timing may favour the Reds. However, Guardiola appears undeterred, clearly believing that adding a figure like Lijnders will aid City's pursuit of global dominance. Whether this gamble pays off or backfires in the domestic campaign remains to be seen. Liverpool's Identity and Coaching Influence Under Spotlight While the move may seem minor on the surface, Lijnders' departure and arrival at a rival club is deeply symbolic. He wasn't just an assistant — he was seen as a tactical architect behind the high-intensity, high-pressing identity that defined Liverpool under Klopp. Advertisement City acquiring Lijnders isn't just about staff reinforcement, it's a psychological play. It is Guardiola's way of absorbing insights from the very team that stood as his greatest obstacle. Whether Lijnders' knowledge will make a tangible impact remains up for debate. What is certain is that it adds another subplot to the increasingly nuanced rivalry between Manchester City and Liverpool. Our View – Anfield Index Analysis There's no sugar-coating it — seeing Pep Lijnders join City hurts. Not because he didn't have the right to move on, but because of what he represented. Lijnders was part of the DNA that restored Liverpool to the summit of English and European football. His fingerprints were on the tactics, the player development, the very culture that made us proud again. Advertisement While Klopp's blessing may offer some closure, the timing stings. Liverpool are trying to forge a new era under Arne Slot, who has already delivered a Premier League title in his first season. Yet, the thought of one of Klopp's inner circle now assisting Guardiola — the very man we battled for honours season after season — feels like betrayal. There's also fear. Lijnders knows how Liverpool tick. If Guardiola is wise enough to use that insight, it could close the gap that widened last season. It's the latest sign that City aren't just coming for trophies, they're coming for footballing minds too. We can only hope that Slot, with his own ideas and staff, keeps us a step ahead. But this one will sting for a while.
