After a 3-0 win
Ex-Klopp assistant fired in Salzburg
December 16, 2024 – 4:40 p.mReading time: 1 min.
It was only in the summer that Pep Lijnders took over from the Austrian champions of recent years. Now his era is over again. Interesting: The dismissal came after a win.
Red Bull Salzburg has reacted to the ongoing sporting difficulties and released coach Pep Lijnders. The club announced the decision on Monday, just two days after the 3-0 win in the Bundesliga against Austria Klagenfurt.
The 41-year-old Lijnders, previously assistant to Jürgen Klopp at Liverpool FC, only took over as coach in the summer. Nevertheless, CEO Stephan Reiter and sports director Rouven Schröder felt forced to take this step.
“The team was far from meeting our expectations in too many games,” it said in a joint statement. The club is now working “very intensively” to present a successor by the start of training on January 3rd.
Despite successfully qualifying for the Champions League, Lijnders did not meet expectations there: Salzburg finished the group phase in 32nd place with just three points from six games. The series champions, who recently had to hand over the title to Sturm Graz, also disappointed in the domestic league. Salzburg is currently in fifth place in the table, ten points behind the leaders – a position that does not meet the club’s demands.
Reiter and Schröder spoke of “many unsatisfactory performances” and the need for “new impetus under new leadership.” The search for a new coach is already in full swing.