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Pep Guardiola's move to appoint Pep Lijnders as his assistant at Manchester City was one that raised a few eyebrows among Liverpool fans. Lijnders, of course, was an integral part of Jurgen Klopp's team at Anfield.
During his six years at Anfield, the Dutchman played a pivotal role in Klopp's success, acting as the only real challenge to Guardiola's Premier League supremacy. When Lijnders made his comeback to Liverpool as Klopp's deputy in the summer of 2018, after a brief stint at NEC Nijmegen, he demanded a greater slice of responsibility before agreeing to return.
Klopp obliged, much like Guardiola must now do at City, by handing over duties that would typically fall within his own scope. Among these tasks was overseeing Liverpool's Carabao Cup matches, including a clash with City at the Etihad in December 2022, where Guardiola's side edged out a 3-2 victory.
Lijnders has been clear about his conditions for returning to Liverpool: "When Liverpool asked me back after NEC, I would never have taken the job if I had just been offered the chance to go back as a number two," he told the Daily Mirror.
"I was given a lot more responsibility. Jurgen made me do press conferences, match discussions — basically everything he did himself. He always said 'we do this job together' — and that's really how it was."
It's believed that when he reached out to Klopp to inquire if Lijnders would be a suitable addition to his team at the Etihad, the former Liverpool boss cautioned that he might quickly grow discontented if his duties were no more demanding than setting up cones for training.
But Guardiola is renowned for his obsessive control. The turnover of backroom staff during his nine seasons at the Etihad is striking, especially considering City have clinched six titles in that period.
Mikel Arteta and Enzo Maresca were brave enough to hold their own — and are now at the helm of Arsenal and Chelsea respectively. Despite losing the esteemed Carlos Vicens to Portuguese outfit Braga at the end of last season, Guardiola persisted with his plan to introduce fresh perspectives into his club.
Both Juanma Lillo and Inigo Dominguez left, with neither able to command English well enough to communicate freely with City's players. They've been succeeded by ex-City defender Kolo Toure, a much-loved figure at the Etihad after returning to work with the Under-18s team, and former Liverpool set-piece coach James French.
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However, it was Lijnders who was persistently whispering in Guardiola's ear during the Club World Cup this summer, and there's hope he will inject new life into City's squad with innovative ideas following a season that saw them finish third in the Premier League and suffer defeat to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup Final.
The Dutchman also has a point to prove, having been dismissed as coach of Austrian outfit Red Bull Salzburg last December — mere weeks before Klopp was officially announced as Red Bull's head of global football.
One of Lijnders' final acts during his last week at Anfield last year involved standing on a barstool in a hotel bar and belting out 'You'll Never Walk Alone' to a crowd of Liverpool supporters. It might be wise for him to familiarise himself with the lyrics to 'Blue Moon.
Liverpool.com says: Lijnders is a very good coach and Manchester City will improve this season, but will it be able to catch up with the Reds? With the likes of Florian Wirtz coming in, that will be very difficult.
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