Pep Lijnders has steadily grown in prominence on Merseyside over the course of the past decade. Indeed, he now oversees the majority of the training sessions at Liverpool’s AXA base, with Jürgen Klopp taking more of a back seat over time, almost in the mold of Alex Ferguson towards the end of his 26-year tenure at Manchester United.

The Reds boss once labelled his loyal number two as a ‘real energizer’ who is ‘on fire’ behind the scenes at Anfield. In fact, when Klopp made the decision to extend his contract until 2026 just last year, he sacrificed his own pay rise in favor of rewarding his assistant with a more lucrative financial package.

Lijnders is integral, and his importance was proved earlier this year as Liverpool attempted to navigate a turbulent run of form. Placed eighth in the Premier League table and winless in four matches at the time, having lost three of them, it was him — and not Klopp — who came up with the tactical solution.
"Yes," Lijnders replied on the Training Ground Guru Podcast this week after being asked whether the decision to transform Trent Alexander-Arnold into an inverted full-back was his idea. "The year before, we already moved him more often inside, but in a much more flexible way."

The Scouse defender originally emerged on the scene as a high-risk full-back who would occupy the flanks and impose himself on the game by creating chances for his teammates, switching the play on a regular basis and showcasing his elaborate passing range. He behaved like a creator of sorts, despite forming part of Liverpool's back four.

Alexander-Arnold was presented with a platform to try things in possession, as Klopp installed a watertight safety net in the middle of the park consisting of Fabinho, Gini Wijnaldum and Jordan Henderson. The trio performed like robots, sweeping up loose balls almost as though they had been programmed to do so, with the latter in particular covering for his more inventive teammate on the right side.

Liverpool won everything in the sport using that dynamic but last term, cracks started to emerge and they quickly began to hurt the Reds on the defensive side of the game. Fabinho and Henderson both seemed to fall off a cliff in a physical sense after a gruelling previous campaign which involved the Reds playing 63 competitive matches in all competitions, reaching three cup finals in the process.
The Reds suddenly struggled to control games in the Premier League in particular, with a whole host of opponents prospering through the use of quick and direct attacks. Klopp's signature counter-press had deteriorated, with Liverpool nowhere near as effective at regaining the ball upon losing it.

Alexander-Arnold's nature had almost developed into a problem. He was still trying to be his Hollywood self in possession — losing the ball roughly 25 per cent of the time — but Liverpool no longer had the safety net to guard against the opposition attacks which tend to stem from the downsides of his daring passing game.

With just 10 matches remaining of the campaign, it was Lijnders who fashioned an answer, with the Dutch coach even offering to sacrifice his entire salary for a whole year if the tactical shift did not work as intended. He wasn't serious, but it was his way of getting Klopp on board.

Luckily for him, Liverpool would proceed to go unbeaten for the rest of the season.

"The team became compact again with the ball," he said. "The team became together again and we were really balanced, we didn't suffer counter-attacks how we suffered them before. A little change can be enough for players to feel free and comfortable again. The counter-press was working. Ibou [Konaté] didn't have to sprint 60 yards with each ball we lose."

Lijnders will know that he cannot take all of the credit. Earlier in the season, Pep Guardiola started to use John Stones in a similar manner, with Mikel Arteta doing the same at the Emirates Stadium using Oleksandr Zinchenko. Manchester City and Arsenal finished as the top two in the Premier League last term, with much of their success stemming from their control in the center.
"It's from the same logic," Lijnders said. "If you dominate midfield, you will dominate the game, so you have to search for that. John does it very easy and simple. Top, unbelievable, but even when you have a similar dynamic, each team is completely different because of the individual characteristics. Trent is Trent, who plays passes the stadium didn't see. I believe this freedom, this individualism, this technique, has to be present in the game. The coach has a big impact, but the players make the difference."

The words used by Lijnders perhaps capture a new problem for Liverpool in comparison to Manchester City and Arsenal. Unlike Stones and Zinchenko — who are both more inclined to retain possession — Alexander-Arnold seems hardwired to assume the form of a quarterback. Indeed, the Reds' number 66 started the new season against Chelsea last weekend, and managed to find a teammate with just 55 per cent of his passes.

"He finds the forwards in a way that nobody else can find them, and he plays the passes the forwards like to receive," said Lijnders, but with Klopp currently without a single defensive midfielder within his ranks, having sold Fabinho and Henderson this summer, Liverpool is still in search of a reliable safety net, although Wataru Endo has just been announced as his latest addition.

The captain of Japan has the self-sacrificing qualities to make a difference against the ball but ahead of the closure of the window at the end of the month, the Reds needs further reinforcements to truly unlock the new-look version of Alexander-Arnold.