"The moment Pep called, and the feeling he gave me about what he wanted to do with the team by bringing me in, the trust he already had before we discussed how it would look, that made the decision much easier. But you cannot put away 10 years of Liverpool that easily. But I'm really proud to come to a club of this magnitude, so successful over the last 10 years and with a manager that defined football."
"He's brilliant, of course. He has a passion and a game understanding from a different planet in my opinion. He knows exactly what he wants and the good ones and the top ones, what sets them apart is their love, in my opinion, for his team. You always have people who are geniuses in terms of how to prepare a team, but the quality lies in how you touch the heart of the players."
Pep Lijnders joined Pep Guardiola's Manchester City coaching staff after Guardiola personally convinced him to accept the assistant role despite Lijnders' near ten-year tenure at Liverpool. Lijnders had three title battles with City while at Liverpool, finishing as runners-up twice, which prompted internal debate before the move. Guardiola's phone call and evident trust made the decision easier. Jurgen Klopp joked he would take the job if Lijnders declined. Lijnders describes working under Guardiola as intense and praises Guardiola's passion, tactical understanding, and ability to touch players' hearts. Lijnders returns to Anfield next Sunday with a winning mindset.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]