Pepijn Lijnders

Pepijn Lijnders

Lijnders managing Red Bull Salzburg in 2024
Personal information
Date of birth	(1983-01-24) 24 January 1983 (age 42)
Place of birth	Broekhuizen, Netherlands
Managerial career
Years	Team
2018	NEC
2024	Red Bull Salzburg

Pepijn Lijnders (born 24 January 1983) is a Dutch football manager who was most recently the head coach of Austrian Bundesliga club Red Bull Salzburg.

Career

Lijnders began his managerial career in 2002 with PSV Eindhoven, helping with youth training and individual player development. In 2006, he moved to Porto and helped develop their youth academy, working under guidance of Vítor Frade and Luís Castro. During his time in the club he worked under Jesualdo Ferreira, André Villas-Boas, Vítor Pereira and Paulo Fonseca.[1]

In 2014, Lijnders moved to Liverpool as development coach under Brendan Rodgers, and later continued with Jürgen Klopp as assistant coach, as well as first team trainer with Klopp.[2]

On 2 January 2018, Lijnders accepted the managerial job at NEC in the Dutch Eerste Divisie, signing a year and a half long contract.[3][4] On 17 May 2018, Lijnders was sacked after NEC failed to gain promotion to the Eredivisie in the promotion play-offs.[5]

Lijnders returned to the Liverpool coaching staff on 5 June 2018.[6] He was part of the coaching staff that helped Liverpool win their sixth UEFA Champions League on 1 June 2019, their first FIFA Club World Cup on 21 December 2019, and their first Premier League title, their nineteenth Top Flight Winner Trophy, at the end of the 2019–20 season, their first in 30 years.

In 2022, Lijnders published his first book, Intensity: Our Identity, an inside account of Liverpool's 2021–22 season.[7] Later that year, with the club struggling for form the following season, Lijnders was forced to defend himself against accusations that his book had "exposed" Liverpool's secrets.[8][9]

On 26 January 2024, it was announced that, along with Jürgen Klopp, he would be leaving Liverpool at the end of the season.[10] Lijnders was expected to pursue his own managerial career when he leaves.[11]

On 15 May 2024, Lijnders signed on as the new Red Bull Salzburg manager with a contract valid until June 2027.[12] Early in the 2024-25 season, Lijnders faced criticism after he demoted Austria's national team goalie Alexander Schlager to the bench, fielding Leipzig loan Janis Blaswich. Blaswich allowed 12 goals in Salzburg's first three Champions League games.[13] On 16 December 2024, it was announced that Salzburg were parting ways with Lijnders after just 29 games in charge of the club with Salzburg chasing a 10-point deficit in the Bundesliga.[14]

Managerial statistics

As of match played 14 December 2024

Managerial record by team and tenure

Team	From	To	Record
			G	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Win %
NEC	3 January 2018	17 May 2018	22	11	4	7	39	29	+10	050.00
Red Bull Salzburg	1 July 2024	16 December 2024	29	13	7	9	50	42	+8	044.83
Career total			51	24	11	16	89	71	+18	047.06

References

1. "Liverpool's Pepijn Lijnders is a big deal". 17 April 2015. Archived from the original on 21 May 2018. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
2. "Pepijn Lijnders leaves Liverpool to take charge at NEC Nijmegen". ESPN. 2 January 2018. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
3. "Pepijn Lijnders nieuwe hoofdtrainer N.E.C." nec-nijmegen.nl. 2 January 2018. Archived from the original on 2 January 2018. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
4. "Liverpool-assistent Lijnders nieuwe hoofdtrainer NEC". Voetbal International (in Dutch). 2 January 2018. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
5. "Lijnders na half jaar alweer op straat gezet door NEC". nos.nl. 17 May 2018.
6. "Pep Lijnders rejoins LFC coaching staff". Liverpool FC. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
7. "Pep Lijnders to release new book on Liverpool's 2021/22 season with Jurgen Klopp insight promised". Liverpool Echo. 7 July 2022. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
8. "Pep Lijnders responds to criticism of his book and suggestion Liverpool 'secrets' were exposed". Liverpool Echo. 8 November 2022. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
9. "Pepijn Lijnders insists his book has not given "inside information" to rivals". This is Anfield. 8 November 2022. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
10. Gorst, Paul (26 January 2024). "Jorg Schmadtke and Pep Lijnders both leaving Liverpool as backroom staff exit after Jurgen Klopp". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
11. Squires, Theo (1 February 2024). "Pep Lijnders explains decision to leave Liverpool and hints at why other coaches are departing". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
12. "New coach comes from Liverpool". Red Bull Salzburg. 15 May 2024.
13. red, ORF at/Agenturen (11 October 2024). "Fußball: Schlager wirbt für Salzburg-Comeback". sport.ORF.at (in German). Retrieved 11 October 2024.
14. "Struggling Salzburg fires coach Lijnders ahead of Klopp's arrival at Red Bull". AP News. 16 December 2024. Retrieved 17 December 2024.

External links

• Sport.de Profile