A loyal aide of Jürgen Klopp has completely destroyed his Liverpool legacy
Our author, a passionate Liverpool fan since childhood, had not expected this: He cannot forgive the departure of Jürgen Klopp's long-time assistant.
When Jürgen Klopp left Liverpool in May 2024 after nine years at the helm, he stated unequivocally: “I will never coach an English club after Liverpool.”
Klopp is forever a legend at Liverpool FC, having led the Reds to their first English Premier League title in 30 years five years ago and also brought home the Champions League in 2019. Under Klopp's leadership, I, as a Liverpool fan, experienced the most exciting football since the early 1970s.
Klopp didn't achieve this alone. He was supported by an excellent team at Anfield, including, among other helpers, assistant Pep Lijnders, who was the right-hand man who accompanied Klopp everywhere.
At the end of the 2023/24 season, I attended an event at a well-known fan hub at Anfield Road, to which the entire Liverpool team was invited. It was a thank-you event to the entire support team for the fantastic work they had done with and for Klopp.
In addition to Pep Lijnders, assistant coaches Peter Kravietz, Andrea Kornmayer, Vitor Malos, and John Achterberg were all present. The highlight of the evening was them all singing the famous Liverpool FC anthem, "You'll Never Walk Alone," together with the fans – an unforgettable night.
Now fast-forward 15 months to the present. Imagine my shock, horror, and enormous disappointment when it was confirmed that Pep Lijnders would be joining Pep Guardiola as his No. 1 assistant at Liverpool's arch-rivals, Manchester City. That club has faced over 130 allegations of financial misconduct over the past decade, but particularly during the period from October 2015 to May 2024 when Klopp was Liverpool manager.
LFC was narrowly beaten by Manchester City in the title race twice, each time by a single point, and let's face it: LFC would have won more than one Premier League title under Klopp if City hadn't received the financial backing of its sheikh (Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed is a major shareholder in ManCity).
Sometimes in life, honor and principles must always be more important than money. Unfortunately, honor and principles no longer appear in Pep Lijnders' vocabulary, who joined arch-rivals Manchester City just 15 months after leaving Liverpool Football Club.
By moving to this club, Lijnders has completely destroyed his legacy at Liverpool – because this move is one that will remain unforgettable at Anfield. Unfortunately, in a sad sense.
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