Meet Jurgen Klopp’s wizardry coaching Staff

The person in charge of restoring Liverpool’s heyday is Jurgen Klopp, but he couldn’t have done it without the outstanding support personnel he has at his disposal.

Since his arrival in 2015, Klopp has almost entirely restructured his coaching staff, bringing in some highly skilled individuals with backgrounds in coaching, physiotherapy, nutrition, and more. ‌

The boss surrounds himself with people whose opinions he values and considers when praising and highlighting the performance of his coaching team.

What unheralded heroes are responsible for Liverpool’s recent success?

Peter Krawietz – Assistant manager

Since their time together at Mainz 05 and Borussia Dortmund, Krawietz has been Klopp’s most dependable assistant. Because of Krawietz’s attention to detail, the Liverpool manager was known to call him “The Eye.” He spends a lot of time working behind the scenes on analysis, reconnaissance, and set-pieces.

Pep Lijnders – Assistant manager

Klopp’s other right-hand man, and one he calls his “energiser.” The Dutchman initially arrived from Porto as under-16’s coach in 2014 but quickly worked his way up the ranks.

He became a key figure in Klopp’s backroom team, working closely with the players on the training pitch, but left to take up his first role in management with NEC Nijmegen in January 2018.

Things didn’t go to plan, and when Lijnders parted company with the Dutch club, the Reds moved quickly to bring him back to Merseyside, replacing Klopp’s former assistant Zeljko Buvac, who departed earlier that year.

Klopp praised Lijnders as “probably the major reason for it” when he signed his new contract in April 2022, describing the charming Dutchman as “a tremendous energiser.”

John Achterberg – First-team goalkeeping coach

The club’s first-team coach with the longest tenure at Liverpool is Achterberg, who has been there since 2009.

When the former Tranmere player and coach celebrated 10 years with the Reds in the summer of 2021, Klopp praised the Dutchman, calling him “a wonderful goalie coach,” for taking the lead in working with Liverpool’s first-team goalkeepers.

Jack Robinson – First-team assistant goalkeeping coach

In 2018, Liverpool appointed Robinson to a new position supporting Achterberg.

After stints with Manchester United, Crystal Palace, and Leeds, he joined the club from the Football Association, where he spent two and a half years.

Robinson collaborates closely with the club’s starting goalkeepers, some of whom are alumni of the program.

Claudio Taffarel – Goalkeeping coach

‘Taffa’, as he’s known at the AXA Training Centre, joined Liverpool in December 2021, when the Reds decided to further boost their selection of goalkeeping coaches. The famous ex-Brazil ‘keeper shares his duties between the Reds and the Brazilian national team.

He was the idol of Liverpool’s No. 1 goalkeeper Alisson, with the pair working together for a number of years at international level

Vitor Matos – Elite development coach

As Lijnders’ replacement as the link between the main squad and the academy, Matos, another former Porto coach, joined Liverpool in October 2019.

He plays a significant role in developing first-team training sessions while also keeping a close watch on Liverpool’s youth talent.