Succession

[Woland ★]

When you look at us when we were great for a sustained period, we went from Shankly to Paisley to Fagan to Dalglish and all the while Ronnie Moran was in the background filling up the almanac. Look at all the biggest success stories in our dirty capitalist world. When Steve Jobs started drinking carrot water to cure liver cancer they made sure Tim Cook got the message. Same with Microsoft - so why are football clubs now so different? We have to scour the globe for whoever is performing well at the minute without any knowledge of how the hiring club operates or how it got to where it is.

That's why, when we've got people doing coaching badges towards the end of their career (Milner) or a captain on the wane but has seen every decision made under Klopp (VVD) I get a bit pissed off when we start talking about Glasner or whoever else.

Dunno, just been thinking about it for the past few weeks. Man U essentially died when they didn't only lose Ferguson, they lost the whole team to entertain Moyes and his crew. There was nothing fundamentally wrong with Moyes but the players hated him from day one. I'm not sure Brian Kidd could have stepped up, but I'm sure if he knew two years out that was the plan he probably would have made a better job of it than a whole new coaching staff. I think it's what we should have done with Milner and what we should be doing with VVD.

You get the picture with what's happening at the academy now. Klopp brought it closer, Slot is pushing it away. The new guy might want to bring it closer again, at which point we've lost years worth of talent. There should be a common ethos that transcends the figurehead at the top.

All just mind games because it's not and won't happen - but anyone else got any thoughts?

 

[Squiggles ★]

I suppose the whole ethos of having a sporting director and head coach model is that the club’s identity stays the same even when managers change. We have seen that work well at clubs like Brighton and Brentford FC, where the structure is strong enough that managers can come in and either fulfil their potential or look better than they might elsewhere. Probably a mix of both. At Brighton, the strength of the model is how little it changes when the manager does. Potter, De Zerbi and now Hurzeler are very different coaches, but all worked within the same recruitment logic and broad playing principles. Each added their own tweaks, but none needed to rebuild the squad to make it work. The system does most of the heavy lifting. Brentford are similar. Thomas Frank has consistently overperformed because the club is clear on what it is and what it is not. The squad fits a specific way of playing, expectations are realistic, and recruitment backs the model. When players leave, the structure absorbs it, rather than everything needing to reset. Now the assistant has taken over and seems to be doing well enough.

What stands out is that this kind of alignment is far more common among clubs promoted in the last ten years; they can define how they want to play, recruit accordingly, and appoint managers who fit within that framework. At the top end of the game, it seems to happen far less. Most elite clubs change managers fairly regularly and stay competitive largely because of reasonable to good recruitment backed by healthy budgets, rather than a deeply embedded identity.

The issue for us is that, despite having that structure on paper, we decided to rip up the Klopp playbook this summer, and if the identity changes wholesale with the head coach, it defeats the point of the model. We saw the consequences fairly quickly. We started with a group of younger players that Slot clearly did not want, and they were moved on. Now there is a set of squad players who also do not appear to fit and will likely follow. Slot has to take some responsibility for that, but the bigger concern is alignment. Either the recruitment and coaching philosophy were not aligned, or the club had not properly decided what post-Klopp Liverpool was meant to look like before taking action.

The danger of sitting in this middle ground is what happens next. If Slot were to go, Liverpool would not realistically be in a position to appoint another coach to build an entirely new identity around. The level of investment in the existing squad makes that unrealistic, meaning FSG would probably then need a pragmatic manager who can get the best out of what is already here, rather than someone arriving with a blank slate and a radically different vision, and in this situation, we may never get back to what you truly want to be, or sought to be, to begin with.

Another challenge is that managers arrive in full teams now. They have psychological contracts with their coaching staff, and many follow them for a huge amount of time. Many will be non-negotiable in the hiring process. But I do think there is a middle ground where the likes of Milner/Henderson, etc, should be already at the club, maintaining the same sort of standards on the training ground that kept us at the very top of the game. If any new coach couldn't handle that, then they could have jogged on. I'm not really sure about the current crop, though. VVD's/Robbos were in leadership roles for the worst run of results since 1953, so whilst I'm not blaming them, it's also not a stat that fills me with huge confidence either. Nobody comes out of that with their reputation unscathed, and whilst we're here, I think Edwards is getting away very lightly from the current mess.

 

[Woland ★]

I think we're pretty much aligned. Except that you see the fact that our senior players have been playing while we've been shite is a cause for concern, where I see it as a symptom of the problem. I'm sure if you got them to talk off the record they would have done a lot of things differently if they had more say.

 

[Squiggles ★]

Yeah, maybe, it's hard to know. It's the Diaz/CB issue that fills me with the most concern regarding that. I don't for a second believe that Slot would have taken Isak over Diaz staying/Semenyo being signed, and Guehi being signed in addition, and they're the main decisions taken in the summer that have derailed our season. I'm not saying Isak was forced upon him - every coach would love to have him, but we have to question at what cost to other key positions. As a new, pragmatic manager at a top club, I'd want key positions and attributes covered over an injury-prone and record transfer-breaking striker. That one just smacked of the data nerds being keen to bring him in after tracking him for years and being overruled by Klopp. All speculation, but it's the strand of sympathy I'm prepared to throw Slots way this year.

Hopefully we can make steps to address it this January.

 

[Brizzle ★]

I think this is an interesting point, imagine if we had made a pathway for the leaders in the squad to become leaders across the whole club e.g. Milner, Hendo, Robbo, Virgil.

I would imagine all of these would have a greater inspirational and tactical benefit to the squad than someone like Heitinga or Van Bronckhorst.

There is a strong argument that some of these players see additional paydays in Saudi or elsewhere, but we should still be making a clear path back to the club.

We also need someone who can tell a manager that thinks a 14 man squad across 4 competitions that this is a bad idea - or if it is what you demand, that you have a squad of capable players to do the 'off' matches.

 

[Brizzle ★]

You get the picture with what's happening at the academy now. Klopp brought it closer, Slot is pushing it away. The new guy might want to bring it closer again, at which point we've lost years worth of talent. There should be a common ethos that transcends the figurehead at the top.

What frustrates me even more on this, is that we have lost more than a year's worth of talent. We sold those who were our top talent all in one window. We can debate whether they would be good enough or not, but all great teams have had non-great players in and around the squad. Morton would probably play to a similar level as Darren Fletcher for example, Quansah like a Wes Brown/John O'Shea level, Elliot better than a Jesper Bromquivst. We need that mix, and fucking off the top level of our academy is tragic.

Yes it would be brilliant if we had players ready to come in and command starting slots. A lot of us thought Danns might do this, but he's made of biscuits. Bradley is also injury prone. Rio a year too young perhaps. But selling off so many of the academy in one go was a statement, and not a good one.

 

[King Binny]

There has definitely been a significant loss of continuity and connection, both within the academy and between the academy and the first team.

1. Elite Development Coach

With Lijnders, we had an assistant manager who had a brief spell as our U18 Head Coach before moving up to become first-team development coach under Klopp.

The Story of How Klopp's Assistant, Pep Lijnders, Rose to European Glory - The Redmen TV

Article by Ben Taylor – @bensgtaylor The story of Pep Lijnders starts off very differently to most mangers, this because unlike most of the big managers in the present day such as Pep Guardiola who played for Barca then signed a…Read more ›

theredmentv.com

With Jurgen paying attention to Pep’s vision with the U18s and his attacking style of play, within one season Lijnders was on Klopp’s team and working alongside him as the first-team development coach. Pep joined Klopp’s team on July the 1st 2015 after managing to get the U18s team finishing in a comfortable position of 7th. Both of their visions on football are similar with counter attacking football being at the forefront of their games so they are very applicable to each other, a match made in heaven some might say.

When Klopp was asked in an interview about Pep Lijnders he described him as the “mind to remember the things what we did in previous sessions” and that “he is our connecting point to the present and the future, so that’s really, really important.”.

His successor, Matos joined in 2019 and left at the end of the 23/24 season, following Klopp's exit

'We can see the impact of Vitor Matos already'

Pepijn Lijnders has outlined the positive influence of Vitor Matos since he took up the role of elite development coach at Liverpool.

www.liverpoolfc.com

“For me, he is our best signing of the season,” said assistant manager Lijnders at his pre-Arsenal press conference on Tuesday.

“He is a talented coach, a very intelligent coach. He can make the next step with all these young players. We already see the impact he made on them.

“Having one really intelligent, talented coach for young players – one, he can inspire eight or nine of them. It’s really important to have the right people in front of them.

“He connects. Of course, he influences the boys on the pitch and trains with them, but he connects departments. So he connects our Academy, Alex [Inglethorpe] and Critch [Neil Critchley] with them; he connects me and Jürgen, of course; he connects Julian Ward [loan pathways manager] and Michael Edwards [sporting director].

“So he is basically the connector of these three parts of the club. It’s good, we’re really happy that he’s here.”

Matos' replacement, Briggs was barely in the role for long.

Aaron Briggs, Set-piece coach - Liverpool FC

Aaron Briggs - Liverpool FC Set-piece coach

www.liverpoolfc.com

Aaron Briggs joined Liverpool FC as first team individual development coach in July 2024, linking up with head coach Arne Slot as part of his backroom staff.

He was then appointed set-piece coach in September 2025.

Luiz Fernando Iubel, our latest Individual Development Lead Coach, arrived in September. His previous coaching experiences were all with Brazilian clubs.

Luiz Fernando Iubel, Individual lead coach - Liverpool FC

Luiz Fernando Iubel - Liverpool FC Individual lead coach

www.liverpoolfc.com

Luiz Fernando Iubel joined Liverpool FC as individual development lead coach in September 2025.

A holder of the UEFA A, UEFA A Elite Youth and CONMEBOL Pro coaching licences, Iubel is now part of Arne Slot’s backroom staff after leaving his position as assistant head coach of Brazilian club Atletico Mineiro.

He has also worked for Bahia, Ceara, Coritiba, Juventude, Ponte Preta and Vasco da Gama, as well as Cuiaba, whom he led to the 2024 Mato Grosso state championship as interim head coach.

Iubel, who holds dual citizenship of Brazil and Germany, was also a tactical analyst with the Germany national team during their silver-medal campaign at the 2016 Olympics.

 

[King Binny]

2. U21 Head Coach

The previous two U21 head coaches were promoted from within; unlike the current one, Rob Page, who has no prior history in the club’s academy.

Michael Beale

Reds confirm U23 manager Beale to leave club

Liverpool Football Club can today confirm Michael Beale will leave his post as U23 manager with immediate effect. The process to appoint his replacement is underway.

www.liverpoolfc.com

Beale joined the Reds in September 2012 as youth development lead coach for the U15 and U16 age groups before being promoted to U23 (U21) boss in August 2014.

Barry Lewtas

Barry Lewtas to step down as Liverpool U21s head coach - Liverpool FC

Barry Lewtas is to step down from his role as head coach of Liverpool U21s, bringing 12 years of service with the club to an end.

www.liverpoolfc.com

Barry Lewtas is to step down from his role as head coach of Liverpool U21s, bringing 12 years of service with the club to an end.

Lewtas has filled several positions at the Academy during that period, firstly with the U12s group, then with the U15s/16s, followed by two seasons with the U18s, whom he led to a memorable FA Youth Cup victory in 2019.

For the past five seasons he has overseen the vital final link from the Academy to the men’s team as U21s head coach while also leading the U19s group in several exciting campaigns in the UEFA Youth League.

His success can partly be measured by the fact the Reds’ Premier League-winning squad of 2024-25 had more minutes played by homegrown Academy players than any other side in the division.

3. U18 Head Coach

Similarly, the current U18 head coach, Simon Wiles, has no prior experience within our academy.

Marc Bridge-Wilkinson

Marc Bridge-Wilkinson to step down as Liverpool U18s head coach - Liverpool FC

Liverpool FC can confirm Marc Bridge-Wilkinson will step down from his role as head coach of the U18s team at the end of the season, bringing an end to 10 years of service with the club.

www.liverpoolfc.com

Liverpool FC can confirm Marc Bridge-Wilkinson will step down from his role as head coach of the U18s team at the end of the season, bringing an end to 10 years of service with the club.

Bridge-Wilkinson has played a pivotal role at the Academy during that period, first with the U14s group and then with the U15s/U16s before spending the last five years in charge of the U18s.

Neil Critchley

Neil Critchley leaves Liverpool U23s role

Liverpool can confirm U23s coach Neil Critchley has left the club to take up the position of head coach at Blackpool.

www.liverpoolfc.com

After six-and-a-half years of outstanding service within the Reds’ Academy set-up, the 41-year-old departs to begin a role with the first team at the League One side.

Critchley moved to Merseyside in September 2013 to take the reins of the U18s before progressing to the U23s ahead of the 2017-18 campaign.

He also took charge of the first team for two games this season as he oversaw the Carabao Cup tie at Aston Villa in December and, more recently, the FA Cup fourth-round replay against Shrewsbury Town at Anfield, helping guide a side consisting of players from the youth ranks to a 1-0 victory last month.

 

[tomasjj]

A telegraphed disaster