Chronicle EditorLONDON. — Liverpool are top of the English Premier League, they have scored more goals than any other side in the top-flight and it is their second-best start to a Premier League campaign — beaten only by Gerard Houllier’s 2002/03 side, who started the season like a train but eventually finished fifth.
This time around Jurgen Klopp’s side have greater aspirations and with him conducting the orchestra and his attacking talents shining bright, it is hard to resist the feeling Liverpool might be on the brink of something special. Klopp, however, has not achieved all this on his own.
Here, Sportsmail breaks down the men behind the Liverpool machine and the key roles played by the German’s backroom staff on their march towards the top of the table…
Zeljko Buvac — First Assistant Coach
During his negotiations with Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp insisted to the Liverpool board that he came as a package and his back-room staff must be signed, sealed and delivered. Known as the ”brain” of the team, Buvac was a team-mate of Klopp’s at Mainz and it was there where they first became confidantes.
They have been side-by-side in the technical area ever since Klopp’s move to management at Mainz and then at Borussia Dortmund. Former Dortmund midfielder Nuri Sahin described Buvac ”as basically Klopp’s twin as both of them see football exactly the same way.” They hold detailed discussions before and after every training session. First team development coach Pepijn Lijnders says of Buvac: ”The boss called him a coaching book. I call him a coaching computer — unbelievable. I had the privilege to work at PSV with Guus Hiddink and Ronald Koeman, at Porto with Andre Villas-Boas, Vitor Pereira and Jesualdo Ferreira, and then here with Brendan Rodgers. But this is something special.”
Peter Krawietz — Second Assistant Coach
Krawietz was a student at the University of Mainz, where he became part of Klopp’s scouting apparatus after being introduced by a mutual friend.
Speaking this week, he revealed the club’s motto as ”TEAM: Together Everyone Achieves More”.
He said: ”It’s an essential attitude because we aren’t playing tennis, we’re not playing an individual sport — we are playing football as a team.’
In an interview with the Daily Telegraph last season, he said: ”We are like a music band. Jurgen is the band leader and others are behind playing the bass guitar or drum. I’m not sure which instrument is mine!” At Dortmund, his key task was video analysis and he does the same at Liverpool, where he is supported by a more expansive analysis team. If Buvac is the brain, Krawietz is the eyes of the coaching team. It is often the case that Liverpool half-time team-talks consist of Krawietz switching on the projector in the dressing room and underlining two or three key issues to the team. Training sessions are also filmed to highlight areas to improve.
Pepijn Lijnders — First Team Development Coach
Lijnders arrived at the club in 2014 to coach the U16 side but was promoted by Jurgen Klopp upon the manager’s arrival. His role is two-fold, to help with the progression of youngsters into the first-team and improve the ”offensive individual capacities of each first-team player.”
He arrives at Melwood at 8am, where he will hold talks with the sport science staff and medical team to establish the individual needs of players.
His vision for the game is similar to Klopp in terms of high intensity pressing and a desire to regain possession quickly. The coach says: ”You play the game 20 per cent with your head, 20 per cent with your feet and 60 per cent with your heart,” is a famous Dutch saying.
It is how Einstein said it: “Logic will get you from A to Z; imagination will get you everywhere”.
John Achterberg — Goalkeeping Coach
Achterberg is part of the furniture on Merseyside, having now worked under Rafael Benitez, Roy Hodgson, Kenny Dalglish, Brendan Rodgers and Klopp. He took over first team responsibilities in 2011. Signed by John Aldridge to play for Tranmere in 1998, the Dutchman has become an adopted Liverpudlian, after playing for the club for 11 years.
Klopp says he works ”25 hours a day” and Achterberg completed his Pro Licence this summer after eighteen months of work towards the qualification. Former Liverpool goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar has a less positive view, however, and has previously blamed Achterberg for failing to right the flaws in Simon Mignolet’s game.
Andreas Kornmayer — Fitness and conditioning coach
The German joined in July 2016 after over 15 years with Bayern Munich. He served under Louis van Gaal, Jupp Heynckes and Pep Guardiola. He is a medicine and sports science graduate and among the most respected in his field. ”He transformed me from a slow snail into a speedy snail!” said Bayern forward Thomas Muller.
Klopp spoke of his admiration for Kornmayer while he managed Borussia Dortmund and then moved to recruit him this summer. He has been central to intensifying the fitness of the team that is so central to the frenetic pressing style that Klopp advocates.
”First of all he’s an absolute mastermind in all the things has to do for us,” Klopp told the Liverpool website. ”Education and experience are the most important things in this job and he combines these two things in the perfect way.” — Mailonline.
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