Pep Lijnders: I told Liverpool's players I'd punch them in the face
- Liverpool have found top form after a difficult 2022/23 campaign
- The Reds are currently three points clear at top of the Premier League table
- Assistant manager Lijnders reveals how Liverpool rediscovered their best form
Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders told the players he'd "punch them in the face" if they bought any negativity into the dressing room this season.
The Reds endured a disappointing 2022/23 campaign, finishing fifth in the Premier League and losing nine games in the competition - the joint highest number of defeats suffered in a full season under Jurgen Klopp's management.
Having revamped their squad during the summer transfer window by signing a completely new midfield- acquiring Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch and Wataru Endo - Liverpool have been back to their brilliant best this season.
With just one of their first 20 Premier League games ending in defeat, Klopp's side find themselves with a three-point cushion at the top of the table and they're also well placed in the Europa League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup.
Speaking to the press ahead of the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi final clash with Fulham at Anfield, assistant manager Lijnders said of Liverpool's resurgence: “I said as a joke that if anyone was negative in this building I would punch them in the face.
"I said that to every single one of them. Just to make sure that we didn’t carry anything over [from last season]. You do not want that negativity around. You are a product of your own environment.
"We [the coaches] work together and if you had three or four negative guys, everyone would be negative. If you have positive guys, the opposite. That is how the world works. It is important that I stay calm and give my honest view in a positive way. I can only speak for myself on that, but I always stay positive."
Lijnders also credited Liverpool's ownership for putting their hands in their pockets last summer, bringing in midfield reinforcements at a premium price after losing the experience of Jordan Henderson, James Milner and others.
“There is not a good manager without good ownership,” Lijnders remarked.
"The ownership invested in the squad where we needed to invest and that’s already a really good sign. You bring energy, power, talent, young players and that energises the manager and the coaching staff because you are working with new players and you have to explain the idea again.
"We knew we could invest and knew in the summer we would invest. Cody [Gakpo] was a summer signing we brought forward to January [2023]. We could do that early and it was great. If you look at the number of players we have brought in, that is really great."
"I said that to every single one of them. Just to make sure that we didn’t carry anything over [from last season]. You do not want that negativity around. You are a product of your own environment.
"We [the coaches] work together and if you had three or four negative guys, everyone would be negative. If you have positive guys, the opposite. That is how the world works. It is important that I stay calm and give my honest view in a positive way. I can only speak for myself on that, but I always stay positive."
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