ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JUNE 22: Pep Lijnders, assistant coach at Manchester City speaks Rayan Ait-Nouri ... More of Manchester City after the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 group G match between Manchester City FC and Al Ain FC at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on June 22, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Michael Regan - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images) FIFA via Getty Images It’s always easier to diagnose the problem after the fact. So, in soccer, where so many intangible or secret factors influence a team’s performance during a 90-minute game, speculation about when a team suddenly declines is almost limitless. Yet, when viewed in hindsight, Manchester City’s horror season last year resulted from a whole host of decisions that look wildly risky in retrospect. While the ageing squad is the most obvious area the Citizens failed to address, in the post-season, another major weakness has been exposed: a misfiring backroom staff. Just as with the players, who’d delivered year after year until last season’s sudden decline, there was no apparent reason for City to start tinkering with Pep Guardiola’s supporting cast when the 2024/25 season began. After all, the club and the league’s best record for repeatedly hiring talented coaches, evidenced by the fact that two of the five Champions League qualifiers in the Premier League last season were managed by former assistants. But almost as soon as the fixtures concluded, the club acknowledged that fresh impetus was needed. It rapidly announced that three assistant coaches, Carlos Vicens, Inigo Domingues, and Juanma Lillo, had all left the club. MORE FOR YOU Juanma Lillo was always the most influential of those voices, so his exit was the most substantial. Considered an even more dogmatic possession-based soccer believer than his Catalan boss, there was always the sense that Guardiola could do with a perspective further from his own. An older, wiser figure, Lillo never spoke much English and certainly did not acquire a reputation comparable to Mikel Arteta, who was touted as an elite coach quite early into his City career. So, it is significant that his replacement comes with notoriety, which makes the appointment controversial. Pep Lijnders was part of the fabric at bitter rivals Liverpool, making his name as Jurgen Klopp’s enthusiastic assistant coach. Guardiola called the ex-Liverpool manager before hiring his number two, demonstrating the significance of crossing the divide. “We had a conversation with Jurgen, but not about Pep Lijnders,” Guardiola explained. “We just talked on another subject, as always, we had a long conversation, and in a certain moment, I suggested I was thinking about Pep, and he gave his opinion. “It was, of course, so high, he was his right-hand in one of the most successful periods of Liverpool in their last years. “Then, after I took the time to decide, to reflect, I then decided to get in touch with Pep. “Of course, he was in Salzburg and had experience with Liverpool for many years. I asked permission from Jurgen, of course, because I didn’t want to interfere much. “I said to him, ‘Would it be a problem to talk to him?’ and he said absolutely not. “We talked a bit then, and in one or two days we decided, ‘let’s try’. “I’m fortunate, the assistant managers I had in my career, since Barcelona, Bayern, and here I’ve had a lot, wow, everyone helped me incredibly.” ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JUNE 22: Pep Guardiola the head coach / manager of Manchester City with ... More Assistant manager Pepijn Lijnders during the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 group G match between Manchester City FC and Al Ain FC at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on June 22, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images) Getty Images As senior football writer for The Independent, Richard Jolly pointed out in an article on the move that the appointment will bring a different energy than Lillo. “At 42, Lijnders is 17 years younger than the wizened Spaniard, with a Premier League pedigree, multilingual skills – speaking Spanish and Portuguese – and bringing an energy Klopp appreciated as he aged,” he wrote. “That City struggled with the physicality of many an opponent last season could give an added reason to appoint a coach responsible for some Liverpool sides who were primed to outrun anyone. “A theme of Guardiola’s career has been his ability to win with different assistants, starting with Tito Vilanova at Barcelona. At City, he has been joined by Mikel Arteta, Brian Kidd, Domenec Torrent, Rodolfo Borrell, Enzo Maresca and Lillo.” Lijnders’ arrival is anticipated to mark a shift in City’s strategy, which would be fascinating if true. Chief football writer at the BBC, Phil McNulty, is certainly expecting Guardiola’s side to crank the dial up a few notches with Jurgen Klopp’s ex-assistant on board. “[Lijnders] called his book ‘Intensity,’ and this is certainly something Manchester City lacked last season, so maybe we can expect more of that this term,” he wrote. “Guardiola has always been open to introducing new ideas and voices into his backroom team, so this is another one of those occasions. “He will stick to his successful strategy of possession, but maybe he does feel his team need to hear a new voice and play with more of the intensity that Lijnders sets so much store by.” There are indications that this is already translating to the training fields of America, where Manchester City is competing in the inaugural Club World Cup. According to an article by the well-informed Daily Mail journalist Jack Gaughan, during one such session, “19 members of staff are within the perimeter of the pitch, helping in some way, and there comes booming encouragement in a way that hasn’t always been evident during City training. “Peripheral members of the backroom setup are screaming positive reinforcement. It’s loud; it’s more in your face. It’s presenting an energy. “Everything has, according to sources, doubled. The intensity is up, the staff are ‘on them’ more, and – at the moment – players are responding. Players are talking up multilingual Pep] Lijnders among themselves.” If sources quoted in the piece are to be believed, the players will welcome this level of enthusiasm. Gaughan’s article suggests the squad was bemused by the lack of communication from backroom staff last season. In the past, supporting coaches would instigate one-on-one chats to explain Guardiola’s thinking; however, it was claimed last year that this didn’t occur. It’s hard to imagine Lijnders being so passive. Editorial StandardsReprints & Permissions