The saddest day in Jurgen Klopp’s reign at Liverpool Football Club is about to get a great deal sadder.
The German tactician’s announcement was followed by news that his coaching staff, including Pep Lijnders, Peter Krawietz and Vitor Matos would also be exiting their roles at the end of the season, as confirmed by the club’s X account.
Our assistant managers Pepijn Lijnders and Peter Krawietz, as well as elite development coach Vitor Matos, will also vacate their positions at the end of the season.
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) January 26, 2024
The former Dortmund boss had recently signed a new contract extending his stay until the summer of 2026, though it appears that there has been a sharp change in direction from the Champions League winner.
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No ‘Boot Room’-esque continuity?
Some had suggested that the club could return to old ways in passing on the torch to someone within the club who was intricately familiar with the Liverpool way and the style of football that has brought us much in the way of success in recent years.
However, it appears that the intention is to go in a potentially brand new direction with a new coaching team to lead us into a bold new era.
It’s a little deflating – to put it extremely mildly – but we can only hope that the club has identified a replacement capable of taking on the torch from one of the greatest managers in our illustrious history.
Devastated
So is it that the staff are leaving by themselves or is it that they’re being let go? Lijnders, I can understand, having had personal managerial ambitions. Kraweitz, maybe decided to leave the same time as JK. But Matos, as a link between the first team and the academy, having joined more recently, at a time when the academy input has been as good as it has gotten in recent times. Why he?