Red Bull Salzburg fans have ABANDONED Pep Lijnders

Who would have thought that Jurgen Klopp and Pep Lijnders would be reunited so soon, especially under the Red Bull brand as Head of Football and Red Bull Salzburg manager respectively?

The former Liverpool manager and his trusted assistant both left Merseyside during the summer – Klopp for a break and Lijnders to dip his toe back into first team management in Austria.

The pair worked so successfully together at Liverpool that it made sense for Red Bull to want to bring them both into the fold, albeit in different roles to where they previously worked.

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While Klopp will be starting his new role on January 1st 2025, there is an increasing chance that Lijnders won't be around to welcome him to the company.

His time in charge at Red Bull Salzburg so far has turned into a bit of a nightmare for Lijnders, who has angered fans with some of his decisions during big games and his alleged preferential treatment of Bobby Clark and Stefan Bajcetic after they joined from Liverpool during the summer.

It's been a tumultuous time at the club so far, with signs of fan unrest this early into his tenure a big cause for concern.

Why have Red Bull Salzburg fans turned their backs on Lijnders?

Results have not been kind in Lijnders’ first few months in charge of a club which is expected to not only dominate the domestic league, but challenge to reach the knockout stages of European competitions as well.

Salzburg’s league form has been so-so in their first nine games this season, winning five and drawing and losing two each, which leaves them in 5th place on 17 points.

It's not all bad on that front as if they manage to win their two games in hand, the league table will start to look and feel a lot better.

The Champions League has been the real disappointment for Red Bull Salzburg fans this season. The new format means that clubs can realistically expect to qualify from the group stage with nine points from eight games, according to Opta.

Red Bull Salzburg have lost their three opening group stage games to Sparta Prague, Brest and Dinamo Zagreb – with an aggregate scoreline of 9-0 in their opponents' favour. Three teams that Salzburg could be expected to at the very least compete in, if not win.

Their remaining games are against Feyenoord, PSG, Bayer Leverkusen and both Real and Atletico Madrid. It's safe to say their European journey this season is over already.

It's not just the results

Red Bull Salzburg fans are unhappy with the results under Lijnders, but have also slammed his playing style, according to new survey conducted by Salzburg24.

A recent Austrian Cup match at home in the Red Bull Arena against WSG Tirol saw just 2,000 fans show up to support their team, in a stadium that holds just over 30,000.

Fans have been turning their backs on Lijnders and his team in their droves, with high-profile Champions League games still only attracting 20,000 fans to the stadium.

And 36% of those surveyed are blaming the team's performances for their decision to stay away. A further 28% cited a 'lack of identification' with the team, 2% said the quality of opponents and 35% said it was a combination of everything.

The lack of identification is a big problem for Lijnders, who has come under criticism for bringing in former Liverpool players Clark and Bajcetic, both of whom are yet to settle.

Pep Lijnders' path to management

This isn’t Lijnders’ first foray into first team management. The Dutch coach previously left Liverpool in January 2018 to manage NEC Nijmegen, but was sacked after just five months in charge after failing to gain promotion to the Eredivisie.

Lijnders returned to Klopp and Liverpool in June 2018 and went on to be part of some of the Reds’ greatest successes, winning both the Premier League and Champions League.

During that time, Klopp gave his assistant the chance to manage the first team on a number of occasions in cup competitions, with Lijnders taking over media duties and being in control on the touchline.

Lijnders can take some serious credit for the Reds' League Cup win last season, having been influential in the decision to trust younger players in big moments.

After his time in the Netherlands ended in failure Lijnders will be determined to prove that he has what it takes to succeed as a first team manager, but if the first few months are anything to go by, he has some way to go yet.

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