Manchester City expert Steven McInerney from Esteemed Kompany believes that the Citizens would benefit from having ex-Liverpool coach Pep Lijnders 'challenging' Pep Guardiola as part of his backroom staff next season.
The Citizens are undergoing a coaching reshuffle this summer, with the club confirming last week that assistants Juanma Lillo and Inigo Dominguez will both depart when their contracts expire, while Carlos Vicens has agreed to become the head coach of Braga.
Reports have since emerged claiming that 42-year-old Lijnders is set to become part of Guardiola's coaching staff at Man City and his arrival could be confirmed before their FIFA Club World Cup campaign begins later this month.
Lijnders has been out of work since the end of December last year when he was sacked as head coach of Red Bull Salzburg after only six months in charge of the Austrian giants.
The Dutchman also experienced a brief stint in charge of NEC Breda in 2018, but he is best known for working as Jurgen Klopp's number two at Liverpool at a time when both the Merseysiders and Man City were fiercely battling it out for top spot in the Premier League.
Lijnders spent nine-and-a-half years at Anfield across two spells and won eight trophies, most notably winning the Champions League in 2019 before helping the Reds end their 30-year wait for a Premier League title the following year.
Can Man City's pressing game improve with Lijnders alongside Guardiola?
McInerney believes that Lijnders - known for his emphasis on ball-dominance and counter-pressing - could help restore Man City's energy levels and pressing ability which Guardiola's side lacked during a disappointing 2024-25 campaign.
Speaking to Sports Mole, McInerney said: "I was reading an article a couple of days ago that said that one of City's biggest problems is that they've become such a mundane, out-of-possession team. They're so slow, just a poor-pressing team these days.
"I don't think you can be a great side, I don't think you can win competitions at the highest level and just be poor out-of-possession these days. Teams are physically fit, they're dominant, they're aggressive, they're assertive and they press you rabidly, they hunt you like a pack of wolves.
"Look at the relentless energy of PSG having just battered Inter Milan, one of the hardest-working teams in European football 5-0, they're all so focused and they're all so technically brilliant, but also work so insanely hard.
"That was one of City's biggest problems last year. [Their struggles were also] down to injuries, absolutely, [and] tired players, but also down to age as well, and maybe tired ideas a little bit.
"Bernardo Silva, Kevin De Bruyne and [Ilkay] Gundogan, they just can't press like that anymore. Of course, give them back five years of age and maybe they would be able to, but they just can't do that anymore.
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"Influential" Lijnders "will challenge Guardiola"
"I think Guardiola has looked at Lijnders as a man who's famous for his influence in Liverpool. Klopp once said he was the most influential person at Liverpool. He comes with a really big reputation.
"Liverpool fans don't like him anymore and he obviously has failed as a manager a little bit, but many great coaches don't make great managers because it's a very different world.
"You don't bring him in unless you're planning to get the players running, because he very publicly has sold his philosophy, literally in book form, he's said exactly what he wants. He wants 4-3-3, he wants players running really hard, pressing aggressively, he wants fluidity in terms of systems.
"Lijnders will come in and challenge Guardiola, and that's a good thing. What's better than one Pep? Two Peps. I can't wait!
"I think it points towards an aggressive Manchester City next season, and the younger profile squad points towards that anyway. I think that's the one thing City are missing. We've got to run like dogs again, because we're not.
"We've been a little bit slower this year and teams have run around us, and I think the increase in physicality, you play teams like Villa and Bournemouth and even Palace and Brentford, and they're just so physical. The Premier League is insanely aggressive. I think it could be a really smart move, an interesting one."
McInerney believes that Guardiola and Man City can learn from the very best, and in this case, someone who was once one of their main rivals for almost a decade.
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"There's a lot to learn from Lijnders for Guardiola"
"The best two managers in the last 10 years have been Guardiola and Klopp, and if you could combine them both into one, you get the best of both worlds and you've got an incredible team," said McInerney. "I think it's essential that City do that actually.
"I think learning from the very best, that sort of gegenpressing, heavy-metal football, there's a lot to learn from Lijnders for Guardiola, I reckon, and I think he wants to be challenged right now...
"From what I've seen of Lijnders, he's full of himself. I've seen interviews with and he's very, very cocksure. That's fine, a lot of people are in football, but you have to have the credibility to back that up.
"You have to win, win quickly, if you want to present yourself as unique and special, and Guardiola won, and won quickly and dramatically and beautifully. If you think you're one of the best (as a manager), you've got to prove it, otherwise players won't take you seriously.
"Obviously, practically as well, trying to put in these incredibly complex ideas at NEC Breda (and Salzburg) is a lot harder than it is than other clubs with a quality that you haven't got there, compared to, say, City.
"At City, he [would work] with a great squad of people and the best manager in the world. Let's see how those two mesh together. It could be beautiful, it could also explode terribly, but we'll see!"
McInerney has also shared his thoughts on reports claiming that former Man City defender Kolo Toure could also be added to Guardiola's coaching setup this summer.
Press play on the video at the top of this article to hear the full discussion.
Oliver Thomas
