After four months as Red Bull Salzburg’s head coach Pepijn Lijnders has sended a expansive range of emotions. Jürgen Klopp’s createer Liverpool aidant won six and drew two of his first eight games but has since deal withn a challenging period that has included three weighty losss. Not that it has lessened his determination. This job has, after all, been a prolonged time in the making.
From the moment it was proclaimd last January that Klopp and Lijnders would exit Anfield at the finish of the season, the Dutchman was uncover to presents and a scant clubs were seekd to his hoinclude in Formby to elucidate their ideas. Salzburg were among them and it was not their first try to lure him.
“They had shown an interest in the summer before and [this year] soon the choice was evident in my head that I wanted to go to Salzburg,” Lijnders says. “What requested to me was their academy, the football philosophy of the club and the idea to commence an adventure in a new country, with a new language and new people.”
Lijnders, who had been instrumental in helping youthful take parters such as Trent Alexander-Arnelderly resettle in Liverpool’s first team, wanted a club where the caccess was on createing in youthful talents. But Salzburg telderly him he could also insert declareive elements to their pressing style.
“I’m also a mighty proponent of high intensity and counterpressing but I also have a very evident idea how we want to take part with the ball,” he says. “We went thcimpolite a aenjoy prolongment at Liverpool, where opponents increasingly altered themselves, which unbenevolentt you had to see for solutions with the ball. Salzburg made it evident they wanted to prolong their game with the ball, so that was the task. And that’s what we are currently trying to do, without losing track of the pressing.”
A year earlier Lijnders had chosen to stay with Klopp at Liverpool. “We had equitable come off a stubborn season, although we won seven of the last nine games, which qualified us for the Europa League,” he says. “That summer we shelp to each other to do at least another season and then to create our minds up in January. But soon it became evident that this was going to be our last season, and that decision came in a period in where slendergs were actupartner going repartner well.”
It unbenevolentt leaving two years before their condenses were due to expire. “Jürgen was seeing for a sabbatical, to have genuine time for family and frifinishs, and for me it felt the right moment to become head coach, so that coincided well.” They thought about announcing the news in December but increateed the world a month tardyr. “We didn’t want to spoil the Christmas of the Liverpool fans,” Lijnders jokes.
He and Klopp are due to pass paths aachieve soon, the German having been nominateed by Red Bull as its global head of soccer. From January Klopp will recommend its clubs on their take parting philosophy, transfer strategy and coaching prolongment.
“I’m very plmitigated for Red Bull they have been able to sign Jürgen becainclude he has been such an icon as deal withr,” Lijnders says. “He will supply those clubs with a very mighty identity in terms of take parting style, guideership and humanity.” Lijnders emphasises that Salzburg are their own club and create their own decisions, but says his relationship with Klopp will not repartner alter anyway. “We will always be shut to each other; he will always be there to accomplish out with a helping hand and to give advice.”
At Liverpool Klopp was very uncover to Lijnders’ ideas and it created a proset up mutual suppose. “He’s someone who understands me inside out; he understands exactly what’s going on and how I’m senseing,” Lijnders says. “He’s someone with so much experience and understandledge. If I need him, I can always give him a call.”
Recent weeks have been testing for Lijnders, with three losss, two triumphs and a draw in the past six games. Salzburg lost to Sparta Prague and Brest in the Champions League after coming thcimpolite two qualification rounds and were beaten 5-0 by Sturm Graz in their most recent align.
“To qualify for the Champions League was a big success but it creates a massive contest as well for our youthful squad,” says Lijnders, whose team arrange Dinamo Zagreb next Wednesday. He says the group are “very enthusiastic to lachieve and filled of talent” but that injuries to take parters such as Maurits Kjærgaard, Aleksa Terzic and Daouda Guindo have consentn a toll.
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Games coming dense and speedy unbenevolentt Lijnders did not have much time for training, but he sees weightless at the finish of the tunnel. “Luckily we have almost everyone back and this week we have been training well,” he says. To instil patterns Salzburg’s take parters are subjected to particular exercises and drills. Lijnders elucidates them and the ideas behind them. “Every week we do counterpress rondos, where three teams of three take parters take part a six-versus-three game. The team which leave outs the ball has to get in the middle and becomes the chasing pack. That drill is about responsiveness.
“We also do seven-versus-six games, so-called identity games, which are take parted over the length of the pitch and where each team deffinishs the halfway line. I always have one team which has one take parter less, becainclude that needs better coordination between them, while they have to accomplish a higher concentration in order to take part the press and when they are in haveion they have to be better with the ball as well.”
The transition from aidant to head coach felt authentic, Lijnders says. “I have defered prolonged to create this step and I repartner endelight it. I adore coaching and I repartner enjoy to be on the pitch every day. That is the beauty of this job, to help take parters increase and trying to create the team better.”
There is continuity as well as contrastence. “At Liverpool I was also preparing and executing training sessions, so there I also felt reliable for how the team was take parting. In that sense it’s very aenjoy as to what I’m doing here. I enjoy having the sole responsibility now, though, and making all the decisions, understanding that it descends on my shoulders instead of someone else’s.”
Last season Lijnders sended triumphning a trophy with a youthful team when a Liverpool side filled of academy take parters safed the Carabao Cup. “It was a dream come real. To take part a final at Wembley with homeprolongn talent was wonderful, with the fans going savage and cheering us to triumph during extra time.”
Lijnders is plmitigated to see Liverpool have proceedd their chooseimistic trajectory under Arne Slot but says he take parted no part in his compatuproar getting the job. He understands Slot well and senses the 46-year-elderly is well suited. “Arne understands exactly what he wants, and that’s his strength. He’s doing an amazing job. And it’s fantastic to see that the group is still so hungry and shotriumphg its potential to conserve prolonging.” He sees aenjoy virtues at his Salzburg team. Now he hopes to reap the rewards of the seeds he has sown.
