Peter Krawietz
Nationality: German
Job: Assistant manager
To understand how important Peter Krawietz and Pep Lijnders are to Jürgen Klopp then it's worth reiterating what the Liverpool FC manager said when the three of them signed new contracts in December 2019, committing their futures to the Club until 2024.
“It was so important to me that my staff also agreed these new deals with the club,” he said. “Without them being prepared to make the same commitment, quite frankly I would not have been able to do this.”
Nobody has worked with the Liverpool FC boss for longer than Krawietz. Born in Mainz, he was working as a video analyst for 1. FSV Mainz 05 when Klopp was playing for the German club in the late 1990s. While Jürgen didn't always appreciate being told where he was going wrong at right-back, he did see the benefit of video analysis.
So, when Klopp became 1. FSV Mainz 05 head coach in 2001 he appointed Krawietz as his chief scout and made him a member of his backroom staff when he took over at Borussia Dortmund in 2008.
Krawietz's role was to use video analysis to improve BVB's performances – and analyse strengths and weaknesses in opponents. This earned him a nickname of 'the eye' and when Klopp became the manager of Liverpool FC in 2015, he again moved with him.
“I have worked with Pete for many years now, going back to my time at Mainz and Dortmund,” said Klopp in December. “And even now I am still amazed at the things he spots during a game. He has an incredible talent and one that is priceless for us.
“It has been one of the best professional experiences for me to see him grow and become the coach he now is. He’s always been essential to me, but his own personal development since arriving at Liverpool has been outstanding. He is so smart, so insightful and so important to us.”
Part of Krawietz's role involves one-on-one video sessions with individual players, particularly new signings when they first arrive at Melwood, while he has also been instrumental in vastly improving the Reds' goalscoring numbers from set-pieces.
For instance, both goals in Liverpool FC's 2-1 Premier League win at Chelsea FC in September came from free-kick routines developed on the training ground by Krawietz. It involved both Trent Alexander-Arnold (to score) and Andy Robertson (to assist Roberto Firmino) striking moving balls instead of hitting the ball when it was still.
At a level where the biggest games can be settled by the finest of details, the work of Peter Krawietz has been essential in the Reds' resurgence under Jürgen Klopp. That the pair have now worked together for over 20 years and every club that they have been at has enjoyed success is no co-incidence.
