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Liverpool assistant Pep Lijnders reveals secret behind how Jurgen Klopp has made Reds so consistent

The reigning European champions are eight points clear as they chase a first Premier League title 

Alan O'Brien
Tuesday 19 November 2019 12:15 GMT
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Jurgen Klopp with Pepijn Lijnders and Vitor Matos during a training session
Jurgen Klopp with Pepijn Lijnders and Vitor Matos during a training session (Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

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Assistant manager Pepijn Lijnders believes Liverpool's "culture of perfection" is the secret behind the club's current success.

The reigning European champions are eight points clear as they chase a first Premier League title and also find themselves in pole position to qualify from their Champions League group.

They remain undefeated so far and Lijnders is of the belief that that consistency is all down the culture that has been instilled behind the scenes.

“We searched to create a culture of preparation inside our club, a culture of perfection, and we can feel this now in all the people through all the departments of the club,” the told the official Liverpool magazine.

“But we looked at it game by game, not searching for the records. In my opinion, a long number of wins is only possible with a lot of dedication and effort by all the staff, from the ground staff, kit management team, the analysts… everyone involved.

“Each game had its own story, we had games where we dominated and owned the pitch from the start until the end and we also had games where we had to find solutions and overcome adversity. But what was always there was the ‘chasing over the whole pitch’ attitude of the boys.”

That relentlessness has been shown in a number of last minute results as the Reds have continued their winning run.

“Purely the mentality of the boys in the hard, hard moments, never giving up and never giving up our playing style. Never complaining or making excuses on the training pitch," Lijnders added when asked what is the most satisfying aspect of the squad right now.

“I love how we tell our team every day that we are capable of becoming really great as long as we focus and we don’t drop concentration - we need to maintain 100 per cent tactical discipline in our way.

“That’s why I think these last few games were incredible in all aspects. We have to keep the same hunger and passion to win but at the same time understand that it’s much more important that we stay focused on how we play and play our way, whatever the scoreline, wherever we play and whoever we play against.

“We must never leave someone alone and need to help the player who is chasing from all directions. That should be the only pressure: to help your teammate.”

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