When Manchester City appointed Pep Lijnders as Pep Guardiola’s assistant, perhaps the burning question was whether the Sky Blues would adopt some of Liverpool’s tactical ploys under Jurgen Klopp.
The former RB Salzburg boss worked alongside Klopp for nearly a decade and naturally, his own philosophy of how to set his teams up would have been influenced by the German.
However, it seems like Pep Lijnders has had an impact on Pep Guardiola, who wants to play faster football next season; partly due to being inspired by Paris Saint-Germain’s recent 5-0 win against Inter Milan and also due to the Dutchman’s emphasis on speed.
While Guardiola’s Manchester City sides have been lethal on the counter and carved teams out in quick-time in the past, they tend to prioritise patience when moving the ball from back to front.
Pep Guardiola’s ageing squad has been questioned and with several of their players being on the wrong side of 30, it would be a challenge for them to play as athletically demanding a style as Pep Lijnders’.
Pep Lijnders has improved Jeremy Doku’s movement at Man City
However, after bringing in younger players this summer, Manchester City seem all in on Pep Lijnders’ input and one player who certainly seems to be taking his instructions on board is Jeremy Doku.
More Man City News
In City’s latest 2-0 victory against Wydad AC, Doku looked far more intent that perhaps ever before to run in behind defences, a skill that was mastered by the likes of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane at Liverpool.
Phil Foden celebrates with Jeremy Doku during Manchester City v Wydad at the FIFA Club World Cup.
Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images
For Manchester City’s first goal, the Belgian, who usually stays in his position spotted Nathan Ake’s attempt to play a ball in behind and ran past the opposition’s backline to deliver a ball into the box.
Andros Townsend praised Doku’s movement against Wydad as he served as an excellent outlet and it seems like Pep Lijnders has coached him into improving a crucial part of the winger’s game.
Considering the 23-year-old is such a phenomenal dribbler, much of his game is geared towards receiving the ball, standing up his man and darting past him more often than not.
Doku looked up to Ronaldinho and Lionel Messi, two players he classes as “great dribblers” but it seems like Pep Lijnders has told the former Rennes speedster that to become an elite winger, his movement needs to improve.
Salah and Mane were experts at beating their full-backs but a crucial factor behind their productivity was how proactive the pair were off the ball.
As a result, Wydad AC’s right-back Fahd Moufi had a torrid time against Doku, who made a whole host of runs past off his shoulder and the timing of his forays into the box was surprisingly inch-perfect as well.
Pep Lijnders’ new tactic at Man City that was a staple at Liverpool
Another major change in Pep Guardiola’s setup in the FIFA Club World Cup was how his side pressed in a 4-2-4 shape on Tuesday.
Last season, Guardiola’s side set up in 4-4-2, 4-3-3, 4-1-4-1 and 4-2-2-2 shapes out of possession.
At Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp’s sides were often set up in a 4-2-4 shape when they were off the back, particularly during his final season at Anfield alongside Pep Lijnders.
Pepijn Lijnders while manager of RB Salzburg.
Photo by Harald Dostal/SEPA.Media /Getty Images
Pep Guardiola tasked Rayan Cherki and Omar Marmoush to be stationed centrally while Savinho and Doku were instructed to put pressure on to the full-backs, which seems like another area of Manchester City’s system influenced by Lijnders.
Only time will tell whether Pep Guardiola’s new right-hand man’s input improves them but the early signs look positive, even if the Sky Blues seemed unsettled when trying to press Wydad AC.