After four months as Red Bull Salzburg’s head coach Pepijn Lijnders has experienced a wide range of emotions. Jürgen Klopp’s former Liverpool assistant won six and drew two of his first eight games but has since overseen a challenging period that has included three heavy defeats. Not that it has lessened his determination. This job has, after all, been a long time in the making.
From the moment it was announced in January that Klopp and Lijnders would leave Anfield at the end of the season, the Dutchman was open to offers and a few clubs were invited to his house in Formby to explain their ideas. Salzburg were among them and it was not their first attempt to lure him.
