Pep Guardiola has lost Juanma Lillo and Inigo Dominguez
Pep Guardiola has lost Juanma Lillo and Inigo Dominguez
Manchester City are making moves to freshen up Pep Guardiola's backroom staff after three of his assistants left with immediate effect. Carlos Vicens has become head coach of Braga, while Juanma Lillo and Inigo Dominguez are returning to Spain before the end of their contracts to save them heading out for the first part of the Club World Cup.
It leaves Guardiola needing a major reshuffle in his dugout - and preferably before next week when they head out to the United States for the summer tournament. Just as new players are being prioritised with a deal agreed for Tijjani Reijnders and advanced talks over Rayan Cherki and Rayan Ait-Nouri, the club have also started the process of bringing in new coaches.
Pep Lijnders, former assistant to Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool, is a step closer to joining City after RB Salzburg agreed to terminate his contract. Lijnders had an unsuccessful spell as manager there last season and the Austrian club have now released a statement confirming that all ties have been cut.
"After some very constructive and positive discussions in recent days, we have terminated the contract with our former coach Pepijn Lijnders by mutual agreement," it read. "We would like to thank Pep once again for his hard work during his time with us and wish him all the very best for his future in football!"
City are also looking to appoint Liverpool analyst James French. Having first started at Anfield in 2012, French has worked under three different Liverpool managers and been part of the club's success in winning two Premier League titles and one Champions League in that time.
Speaking to SkySports last summer, Guardiola explained what he needed from his assistants as he highlighted the need for them to challenge him. "The only position that the manager has to choose is his assistant coach," he said.
"Maybe there are discussions about the players that the club needs to buy and the club takes a decision in front of you and you have to accept it. But the guy you work with? He has to be so close. You have to decide. It cannot be imposed from anyone else."
"I do not want someone who is just going to agree with everything. I need a guy to push me, to challenge me intellectually. I need guys close to me who can help me to be a better manager for our players and make me see things that I am not able to see."
City head to the US for the Club World Cup next week, with their first match on June 18. They aim to have as much as their squad for next season in position by the time they begin the tournament.
--
Here at The Manchester Evening News, we're dedicated to bringing you the best Manchester City coverage and analysis.
Make sure you don't miss out on the latest City news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get the club's breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe.
You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day's biggest stories.
And, finally, if you'd rather listen to our expert analysis then make sure to check out our Talking City podcast. Our shows are available on all podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and you can also watch along on YouTube.