Former Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders has departed Manchester City, following Pep Guardiola out of the Etihad Stadium. Lijnders, along with Kolo Toure, Lorenzo Buenaventura, Manel Estiarte, and Xabi Mancisidor, have all left the club as incoming manager Enzo Maresca prepares to appoint his own backroom staff.
Lijnders' Short Stint at City
The Dutchman, renowned for his work alongside Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool, joined City last summer after being persuaded by Guardiola. However, his tenure lasted less than a year. Speaking to Dutch publication AD, Lijnders explained that his family, now based in the Netherlands, was a key factor in his decision to leave. "My wife and I want a permanent place for our growing sons. Moving back to England for years is no longer an option," he said. "Without my family, I wouldn't do a second year anyway. The club wanted to move forward, offered me a position on a new manager's staff, or the chance to become head coach at a foreign club within the City Football Group."
Guardiola's Three Demands
Lijnders revealed details of how Guardiola persuaded him to join and the three specific demands he made. "When Pep called in May last year, he was immediately open," Lijnders recalled. "He said: 'I want to build a new City one more time.' He knew how Jürgen and I worked together at Liverpool and had Klopp's blessing to sound me out. He also said that he was in the final two years of his contract. 'So it's not about a long-term project. Is that a problem for you?'"
Guardiola was looking for three things: a coach who would challenge him with fresh ideas, a more aggressive playing style to cope with the increasingly physical Premier League, and innovation on the training pitch. Lijnders described Guardiola as "very intense," comparing his match-plan preparation to a surgeon performing heart surgery. "He approaches creating a match plan like a surgeon performs heart surgery: extremely meticulously, checking every vital part with tweezers. And, just like Klopp, he has genuine love for his players. That, that love, is what distinguishes the absolute top coaches from the rest."
Other Departures
Former Arsenal star Kolo Toure, who was appointed to Guardiola's coaching staff last season after working with City's development teams, has also left. Toure previously managed Wigan and assisted Brendan Rodgers at Leicester. Fitness coach Lorenzo Buenaventura, who had worked with Guardiola at Barcelona and Bayern Munich, departs as well. Manel Estiarte, Guardiola's head of operations at all three clubs, and head of goalkeeping Xabi Mancisidor, who joined City in 2013 under Manuel Pellegrini, have also moved on.
Manchester City issued a statement thanking all five staff members for their hard work and dedication, wishing them the best for the future.
