Red Bull Salzburg have sacked coach Pep Lijnders after 16 games in the Austrian Bundesliga, saying Liverpool assistant Jurgen Klopp oversaw performances “well below our requirements and targets”.
Dutchman Lijnders was appointed last May after six years in his second spell at Anfield and led Salzburg to a Champions League place through two qualifying matches, as well as winning their first three league matches.
Salzburg won three and lost six of their 12 matches in October and November, and are on course for automatic elimination from the Champions League, having lost five and won one of their first six matches in Europe.
OFFICIAL: Red Bull Salzburg and Pippen Lijnders have parted ways, and the 41-year-old Dutchman was released from his duties today. Thank you for your commitment and all the best for the future, Pip!
– FC Red Bull Salzburg (@FCRBS_en) December 16, 2024
Red Bull Salzburg: Lijnders provided the momentum
“We have recently begun, as planned, to analyze what has unfortunately not been a satisfactory season so far,” Salzburg said in a statement, adding that they hope to appoint a new coach when their players resume training on January 3.
“It was clear to see that, in many of our matches, we fell well short of our requirements and targets. We therefore became convinced that our team needed a new impetus under the new management, even if we continued to hope for a turnaround until the end.
“We would like to thank Pep for his work. He has put a lot of effort and passion into this and provided important impetus for our further development. We are now looking very intensively for a new coach.”
Salzburg, in fifth place, is 10 points behind Sturm Graz, the Austrian leader, after winning seven league matches under Lijnders’ leadership.
“Our friendship is great, our commitment is even greater. Our loyalty is tremendous. Together we are strong.”
Pep Lijnders' emotional talk about what Jurgen Klopp means to him 🥹 pic.twitter.com/Gjw2JeibOL
– Liverpool FC (@LFC) May 18, 2024
Lijnders: Klopp's assistant at Liverpool
Dutchman Lijnders joined Liverpool as a development coach in 2014, becoming Klopp's assistant after the German was appointed in 2015.
Lijnders became coach of Dutch side NEC in January 2018, but was sacked less than six months later when they lost out in the qualifiers for promotion to the Dutch top flight.
Klopp re-appointed Lijnders a month later, and the duo won the Champions League the following season, as well as the 2019/20 Premier League and 2021/22 FA Cup.
Red Bull, whose other clubs include German club RB Leipzig and MLS Cup finalists New York Red Bulls, will appoint Klopp as global head of football on January 1.
The former Borussia Dortmund coach left Liverpool with his technical staff at the end of last season because he wanted to get a break from the demands of management.
