Former Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders has been dismissed from his role as head coach of RB Salzburg after a disappointing start to the season.
Despite qualifying for the UEFA Champions League, inconsistent performances in the Austrian Bundesliga have left Salzburg 10 points adrift of the league leaders. The Dutchman managed just seven wins in 16 league games, leaving the club in fifth place.The decision was confirmed by RB Salzburg in a statement:
“FC Red Bull Salzburg are parting ways with Pepijn Lijnders, as he has been released by the club today. Assistant coach Vitor Matos is also leaving our Red Bulls. During the six months under Pepijn Lijnders, our qualification for the UEFA Champions League was a plus. After the successful start to the season, there have been many unsatisfactory performances, however, which have led to FC Red Bull Salzburg being ten points off the top of the ADMIRAL Bundesliga.”
Salzburg Leadership Responds
In a joint statement, CEO Stephan Reiter and Managing Director of Sport Rouven Schröder explained the club’s decision:
“We began recently to analyse, as planned, what has unfortunately not been a satisfactory season so far. It was clear to see that in many of our matches we have been far short of our own requirements and aims. We have therefore become convinced that our team needs a new impulse under new management, even if we continued to hope for a turnaround until the end.”
The club added that they are searching intensively for a new head coach, with the goal of having their replacement in place by the time training resumes on January 3, 2025.
Lijnders’ Management Journey
This was not Lijnders’ first foray into first-team management. In 2018, he briefly managed Dutch side NEC Nijmegen before returning to Liverpool to work alongside Jurgen Klopp. At Liverpool, Lijnders became an integral part of Klopp’s coaching staff, even earning praise as the “brains” behind the team’s success. His autobiography, Intensity, provided a behind-the-scenes look at the club but also attracted criticism from some fans who accused him of revealing too much.
Klopp’s New Role with the Red Bull Group
Lijnders’ dismissal comes just days before his former colleague Jurgen Klopp is set to begin a new role with the Red Bull group. Klopp, who left Liverpool at the end of last season, will not return to full-time management but will act as an advisor across Red Bull’s global football operations, which include RB Leipzig, New York Red Bulls, and Salzburg.
Klopp’s new responsibilities will include shaping the clubs’ playing philosophies, transfer strategies, and coaching development. However, the decision to align with Red Bull has not been without controversy, especially given the backlash in Germany over Red Bull’s transformation of SSV Markranstadt into RB Leipzig.
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