Pep Lijnders
Nationality: Dutch
Job: Assistant manager
Speak to any first-team player and they'll tell you that one of the biggest reasons behind Liverpool FC's success during the last couple of seasons is that training sessions are played at the same intensity as matches. The man behind those training sessions is assistant manager Pep Lijnders.
The Dutchman began his coaching career with PSV Eindhoven in 2002 before moving to FC Porto in 2006. He joined Liverpool FC in the summer of 2014 to work as U16s manager, before taking on the newly-created role of elite development coach in 2015.
Trent Alexander-Arnold is amongst the players Lijnders oversaw the development of and he became a crucial member of Klopp's backroom staff until NEC Nijmegen offered him the position of head coach in January 2018. Lijnders accepted, but things didn't work out for him back in Holland and in June 2018 he returned to Liverpool FC in the role of assistant manager.
“Pep, what can I say? What this guy doesn’t know about football isn’t worth knowing!” said Klopp. “I have never met a guy more passionate and dedicated about the game.
“I only got to know him when I first arrived at Liverpool, but I instantly fell in love with his infectious commitment and knowledge of the game. He left for a period and came back – but he came back in a more senior capacity and he’s flourished since. He is every inch a top manager of the future, but in the meantime, I am thankful we have him with us.”
Not only does Lijnders prepare and run first-team training sessions under the watchful eye of Klopp, he also stands in for the Liverpool FC manager when required to at press conferences and gives more media interviews than other members of the backroom staff.
During one of them, with the official Liverpool FC Magazine, he gave an insight into what he describes as the 'culture of victory' that underpinned the long unbeaten runs and sequences of consecutive victories that the Reds have been on this season.
“We searched to create a culture of victory inside our club, a culture of perfection and we can feel this now in all the people through all the departments of the club. But in this run we looked at it game by game, not searching for the records.
“In my opinion, the number of wins is only possible with a lot of dedication and effort by all the staff, from the ground staff, kit management team, the analysts...everyone involved. Each game had its own story, we had games where we dominated and owned the pitch from start until the end and we also had games where we had to find solutions and overcome adversity. But what was always there was the 'chasing over the whole pitch' attitude of the boys.”
After signing a new contract in December to remain with LFC until 2024, Pep Lijnders' influence on this Liverpool FC team will only continue to grow.
