Is Jurgen Klopp brave enough to SACK Pep Lijnders at Red Bull?

Legendary former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp will surely be enjoying the Reds’ start to the season, but it may not be long until he is forced to make a difficult decision.

When Klopp announced that he would leave Liverpool at the end of the season in January of this year many supporters were left shocked.

The German had been the boss at Anfield for almost a decade and the thought of anyone else standing in the Liverpool dugout seemed alien.

Arne Slot's excellent start to life in Merseyside will have eased the concerns of many though.

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The Dutchman has had a record-breaking start to his first campaign as head coach of the Reds and, so far, he is doing a good job of filling the boots of Klopp.

When Klopp announced his departure, many of his backroom staff also decided to leave the club, but Pep Lijnders, Vitor Matos and Andreas Kornmayer have since found themselves reunited at Red Bull Salzburg.

Klopp’s difficult decision

Although Klopp spent some time after his Anfield departure enjoying retirement, he has since been announced as the new Global Head of Soccer at Red Bull, and he will start the role on January 1.

This means he will once again be Lijnders' boss, and he may have a difficult decision to make regarding his former assistant manager.

Despite a bright start, Lijnders has struggled to impress in Salzburg and already there is talk of him being replaced before the season is done.

Austrian outlet oe24 have discussed the idea that one of the first things Klopp may have to do when he begins his new position next year is to sack his friend and former assistant.

How badly is it going for Lijnders?

Although there has been plenty of criticism for the Dutchman, things aren’t yet quite as bad as they seem at Salzburg.

The team currently sit fourth in the Austrian Bundesliga but have two games in hand on all the teams above them and would only be two points off the leaders if they were to win both.

Lijnders’ side do however sit 30th in the UEFA Champions League, on only three points from four games.

Their one win in the competition came against Arne Slot’s former side Feyenoord in their most recent European game, and this win will help Lijnders earn back some credit.

Liverpool themselves will be keeping a close eye on how the situation unfolds as Stefan Bajcetic remains on loan at the side.

Klopp will surely be hoping that his former assistant can turn things around before he arrives so that he isn’t forced into making the very tough decision to sack him.

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