FC Red Bull Salzburg and Pepijn Lijnders are going their separate ways after just half a year. The club announced the news on Monday.
FC Red Bull Salzburg parted ways with coach Pepijn Lijnders on Monday. The former Austrian league giant announced the decision in a press release. Assistant coach Vitor Matos will also no longer work for Salzburg.
After a disappointing fall season, Salzburg is currently only in 5th place in the domestic Bundesliga, and is already ten points behind league leaders Sturm Graz. The Mozart city team also fell short of its own expectations in the Champions League, with five defeats in six games.
The former Jürgen Klopp assistant coach won the postponed game against Klagenfurt 3-0 with RB on Saturday, but that did not save him from being fired. “We will also analyze and examine the work of the coach,” said sporting director Rouven Schröder after the game. The big gap to Sturm “is not our claim”. For the 42-year-old Lijnders, Salzburg was his first stop as head coach.
As CEO Stephan Reiter and Schröder explained, the decision was made after a comprehensive analysis: “It was clear to see that we were far from our own standards and goals in far too many games. Ultimately, we came to the conclusion that our team needed a fresh impetus under new leadership, even though we hoped to turn things around until the very end.”
Salzburg want to present their new coach by the start of training on January 3, 2025.
