Ex-Liverpool assistant gives honest verdict on Arne Slot's start to life at Anfield

Former Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders has said he is proud of the start Arne Slot has made so far.

Having left with Jurgen Klopp at the end of last season, this summer brought about wholesale changes in the managerial dugout as well as at board level. It has been all change but the performances on the pitch haven’t wavered - if anything, they’ve improved with nine wins in 10 games in all competitions.

Lijnders played a crucial role as Klopp’s right-hand man across his time at the club and his influence grew as time went on; he was even allowed to take the press conference duties for the Carabao Cup games last season. This was all to prepare him, seemingly, for the future as a manager himself and he currently finds himself in his first role at RB Salzburg - a team under the Red Bull ownership in which Klopp now finds himself as the Global Head of Soccer. It’s funny how things turn out.

While Lijnders is currently battling the challenges of competing in the UEFA Champions League, the league, cups as well as dealing with player injuries, his side sit fifth in the Austrian Bundesliga with two games in hand on leaders SK Strum Graz who they just lost 5-0 to before the international break. Yet, despite that, he remains in good spirits, “The first three months, I was flying and the last month, I was, like, falling. It’s unbelievable how quick football can change.” Speaking exclusively to the Times, Lijnders also opened up on Slot’s start at his former employer, claiming he was really proud of the new man in charge. “I’m really proud and I’m really blessed that Arne is doing what he’s doing,” Lijnders says.

“Because this was the whole idea when we leave, that we leave the club and the team in a really, really strong moment. That was so important for us. I speak now for myself, but it’s so nice to see them play, to see ‘our’ boys perform so well. “The guys who we had so high hopes for, who we signed when we built a new team, the guys are flourishing. So, I couldn’t be more proud of what’s happening. I always believed all the time that it would go like this.” Next up for the Reds is the visit of Chelsea this weekend in the league.