Manchester City Strengthen Coaching Staff With Hiring Of Lijnders And French

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Posted by AI on 2025-06-10 17:53:34 | Last Updated by AI on 2026-02-09 19:04:41

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City have strengthened their coaching setup further with the appointments of Pepijn Lijnders and James French.

Following the appointment of Stefan Hansson as the new Performance Director late last year, Manchester City have made another step to strengthen their backroom staff, appointing Pepijn Lijnders as the new assistant coach and James French as the set-piece specialist coach. Both the Dutchman and French, who has experience with England's international set-up, have worked with Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola in the past.

The announcement comes ahead of the Premier League fixture against Liverpool, a game that is always hotly anticipated, and for the first time, Lijnders will be on the bench alongside Guardiola as an assistant coach rather than being a adversary with a strategic role. Lijnders will step into the role vacated by Mikel Arteta, who left to take the helm at Arsenal last season.

These appointments further demonstrate the club's ambition to sustain their competitive advantage by maximizing their tactical and technical prowess, with Lijnders and French bringing in a wealth of experience and expertise in the Premier League.

With Lijnders famously discussing philosophy and tactics in his interviews, his insights into Guardiola's approach and mindset will be invaluable for City. Similarly, French's expertise in set-piece situations will help plug a noticeable area of weakness for City, boosting their chances of overcoming some of the tougher fixtures in Europe and the Premier League.

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