The assistant coach of Liverpool, Pep Lijnders has tested positive for coronavirus less than three days after leading the club to draw 2-2 with Chelsea in a Premier League match.
Recall that before the Premier League game at Stamford Bridge, the head coach of Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp tested positive for coronavirus which forced him to self isolate ahead of the league game.
Hence, Pep Lijnders had to stand in for the German coach who is still self-isolating at the time of publishing this report.
Ahead of Liverpool’s Carabao Cup semi-final match against Arsenal scheduled to kick off at 20:45 on Thursday, January 6, Liverpool confirmed that Pep Lijnders had tested positive for the virus.
Before his test returned a positive result, Liverpool had already written to the EFL to postpone their clash with Arsenal due to the high number of coronavirus infections at the club.
Recall that besides the club’s head coach, first-team players like Alisson Becker, Roberto Firmino, and Joel Matip are still recovering from the coronavirus infection.
Several other unnamed players and staff are still self-isolating due to the virus which means that the club lacks a strong squad for the Carabao Cup game against Arsenal on Thursday.
A statement from Liverpool read: “Liverpool Football Club can confirm Pepijn Lijnders has returned a suspected positive test for COVID-19, further impacting the club’s preparations for Thursday’s Carabao Cup tie with Arsenal.
“As an additional consequence, this morning’s scheduled press conference to preview the fixture has been canceled.
“The assistant manager had been due to handle pre-match media duties at the AXA Training Centre in place of Jürgen Klopp, who is continuing to isolate having tested positive for the virus last week.
“However, Lijnders also recorded a positive test late on Tuesday evening, meaning he has now also gone into isolation.
“The 38-year-old had taken interim charge of Liverpool for the weekend draw at Chelsea in the absence of Klopp and had been set to continue at the helm at Emirates Stadium on Thursday.
“Lijnders’ test result comes in addition to several suspected positive cases among players and football staff recorded earlier on Tuesday, which forced the cancellation of the day’s scheduled training session.
“As a result of the outbreak and the suspension of preparations, as well as other illnesses and injuries recorded within the squad, the club submitted an application to the EFL for the postponement of Thursday’s tie with Arsenal, with the news of Lijnders’ positive result coming after the request was lodged.
“The outcome of this application is still pending.”
At the time of publishing this report, the English Football League (EFL) has not confirmed that the Arsenal vs Liverpool Carabao Cup semi-final clash at the Emirates Stadium has been postponed.
Also, Liverpool have not named the assistant coach that will stand in for Pep Lijnders if the EFL fails to postpone the game in line with Liverpool’s request.
Liverpool have recently closed their training facilities due to the growing number of infected members of the club which means that the Arsenal vs Liverpool game might be canceled.
The first-team training facilities at AXA Training Centre have been temporarily closed due to a rapidly growing number of suspected positive COVID-19 cases.
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) January 5, 2022
