Salzburg dismissed coach Pepijn Lijnders on Monday, with the team 10 points behind the Austrian league leaders and unlikely to progress in the Champions League. This decision spared Jürgen Klopp from having to intervene in his former assistant’s future.
Lijnders, who had been appointed coach of Austria’s top club in May on a three-year contract, had previously served as Klopp’s assistant at Liverpool. His firing came just two weeks before Klopp is set to take over Red Bull’s struggling network of football clubs, which includes Salzburg.
Salzburg’s CEO, Stephan Reiter, and sporting director, Rouven Schröder, explained in a joint statement that the team’s performances had fallen short of expectations. They concluded that a change in management was needed to bring fresh energy to the team, even though they had hoped for a turnaround until the very end.
Salzburg is currently fifth in the Austrian league after 16 matches, trailing leader Sturm Graz by 10 points. Sturm Graz, the defending champion, ended Salzburg’s streak of 10 consecutive titles.
In the Champions League, Salzburg has won just one of its six group-stage matches and sits in 32nd place out of 36 teams, five points away from the qualification spots.
Salzburg will be one of the 12 teams competing in the Club World Cup in the United States next year.
Lijnders secured a 3-0 victory against Austria Klagenfurt in his final match on Saturday, but the team remained in a difficult position heading into Austria’s winter break.
Salzburg’s CEO Reiter and sporting director Schröder expressed their desire to have a new coach appointed by Jan. 3, when training resumes after the winter break. The team’s next competitive match is scheduled for Jan. 22, away at Real Madrid in the Champions League.
Klopp will begin his new role as head of global soccer at Red Bull on Jan. 1, overseeing its international club network, which includes Salzburg.
Salzburg is not the only Red Bull club facing difficulties. Leipzig has lost all six of its Champions League group-stage matches and has already been eliminated from the knockout stages.
