Revealed: Jurgen Klopp's warning to Pep Guardiola during summer phone call over Pep Lijnders
The behind-the-scenes reshuffle at City this summer has led to the formation of an intriguing new coaching unit under Pep Guardiola, featuring familiar names from both the Etihad Stadium and Anfield.
One appointment in particular – Pepijn Lijnders – sparked a personal call between the Manchester City manager and former Anfield boss Jurgen Klopp, during which the German issued a message that now adds another layer of intrigue to City's pre-season preparations.
Lijnders, who spent six years working alongside Klopp at Liverpool, has joined City following his dismissal from Red Bull Salzburg after a short managerial stint working as head coach at the Austrian giants. Despite his unsuccessful spell, the Dutchman remains highly respected across Europe for his tactical knowledge and innovation.
His return to Anfield in 2018 following a six-month period at NEC Nijmegen came with a crucial condition: greater influence. Lijnders made it clear he would only accept a second stint under Jurgen Klopp if it came with significantly more responsibility, including media duties and tactical preparation that reflected a shared leadership model.
'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 No. 2,' Lijnders explained in 2021. 'Jurgen made me do press conferences, match discussions—basically everything he did himself.'
That desire for authority and active involvement was reportedly at the centre of a summer conversation between Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp as City sought to fill the gap left by three key departures: Carlos Vicens (set-piece coach), Juanma Lillo (assistant manager), and Inigo Dominguez (technical coach). With Lijnders coming in alongside James French and Kolo Toure, the nature of his role and remit has become a significant point of interest at the club.
According to The Mirror's Simon Mullock, when Guardiola made a call to Klopp asking the former Liverpool manager whether his former assistant in Lijnders would be a good fit alongside him, the German coach warned he would quickly become restless if he was asked to do nothing more strenuous than put out cones for training.
With Guardiola known for his strong grip on tactical detail and training, the dynamic between him and Lijnders will now be under the microscope. While City have enjoyed great success under a compact and consistent coaching structure, the introduction of a high-profile assistant with strong ideas of his own could signal a new evolution.
Lijnders is expected to take a leading role in pre-match strategy and matchday management, particularly with Juanma Lillo now out of the picture. In some quarters, it has even been suggested that Guardiola is consciously expanding his coaching team's autonomy as part of a long-term soft transition toward the eventual post-Guardiola era.
Meanwhile, Lijnders' arrival could also influence City's tactical evolution across the coming season, with a greater emphasis on pressing structures and wide overloads – hallmarks of his time at Liverpool.
The next few weeks will offer early clues, starting with Manchester City's pre-season opener against Palermo in Sicily on 9 August.
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