Pep Guardiola lifts lid on Pep Lijnders influence ahead of Liverpool return – ‘Lot of info’

Pep Lijnders will return to Liverpool for the first time since following Jurgen Klopp out of the Anfield exit doors but few would have expected that to have been part of the Manchester City coaching staff

Pep Guardiola has lifted the lid on his reasons for hiring Pep Lijnders as his Manchester City assistant manager – as Jurgen Klopp’s former right-hand man gets set for his first return to Liverpool. The Reds take on City in a hugely important Premier League encounter at Anfield today (Sunday, 4.30pm kick-off).

The sixth-placed defending champions need to win to keep pace with Chelsea and Manchester United in the fight for the Champions League spots while second-placed City also require victory given the gap to leaders Arsenal now stands at nine points.

Guardiola’s side ran out 3-0 winners when the rivals met at the Etihad Stadium in November but Arne Slot’s men will go into this afternoon’s showdown in high spirits after thrashing Qarabag 6-0 and Newcastle United 4-1 at Anfield in their past two matches.

OPINION

Ian Doyle

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And few know the power of the Reds’ home ground better than Lijnders, who spent two spells on Merseyside before leaving the club along with Klopp at the end of the 2023-24 season.

The Dutchman was appointed manager of Red Bull Salzburg but lasted just 29 games in the job and was out of work until he was announced as Guardiola’s new assistant manager in June.

It came as a shock to Liverpool supporters given his allegiances and given the club’s past titanic battles with City.

But Guardiola has explained why he made a move for Lijnders: “I had a lot of info from other people about him who had been trained or managed by him at Liverpool.

“I needed to refresh myself first with new people who have incredible knowledge about the game and the Premier League and I love a lot many things that he did with Jurgen at Liverpool.

“We talked one day, I think we felt connected immediately. I am incredibly lucky that since the first day I started as a manager all my backroom staff and close people – and Pep is one of them.

“Methodology of training sessions and vision of part of the game and the freedom to say what we should do, continually talking about what could be better in that way with the player and other ones and one system or the other.

“That is the funny part of our game, imagining what we can do, what is going to happen, and confronting with opinions for people that you truly believe are incredibly well prepared for their business.”

The Manchester Evening News report that Lijnders has been incredibly hands-on since he joined City and that, as early as the Club World Cup, the noise and the standards coming from the 43-year-old felt like a sharp change from how many other of Guardiola’s assistants have operated in training.

Asked whether Lijnders could be of particular help this weekend, Guardiola added: “Well of course, but it would be easier if it was Jurgen as the manager there, because he had been with them and Arne had not been with him.

“But of course, they play differently than they played in their period with Jurgen and him there.

“But at the end it remains the quality, come on. They are a top team. They have done many, many things in the summer, and that’s why it is a good team.”