Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders admits he has complete "respect" for Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta following the relationship the pair assembled during their time on the same UEFA-accredited coaching course.
After an at times difficult start to life as the Gunners' manager, Arteta has enjoyed a fine third season at the helm with his side now sitting at the top of the Premier League and five points ahead of Manchester City. Their excellent start to the campaign included beating Liverpool at the Emirates in a five-goal thriller back in October.
During the early stages of his journey as a coach, Arteta found himself on the same UEFA Pro Licence course as Lijnders at the Football Association of Wales in 2017. It was during this period that the two forged a liking of one another and most importantly a respect for each other's ideas.
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Speaking about his relationship with Arteta, Lijnders revealed he is delighted at witnessing the Spaniard's success and admitted there is "no bigger compliment" than "transforming" a club like Arsenal.
"I loved every second," the Dutchman told FourFourTwo of his time learning alongside the former Everton midfielder. "Mikel and I were in the same position at that time: him assisting Pep, me assisting Jurgen. Curiosity and respect – so many similarities.
"I'm happy for his route – his success – despite being competitors. I want people I respect to do well. Except against us!
"He is transforming the club [Arsenal]. There isn't a bigger compliment in football."
The admiration between the two coaches was so great that upon succeeding Unai Emery as Arsenal manager in December 2019, Arteta offered Lijnders the position of assistant manager at the Emirates, which the 39-year-old declined.
“Mikel Arteta had asked me to be his assistant manager when he was preparing for his new step into management,” Lijnders wrote in his book released earlier this year, Intensity: Inside Liverpool FC: Our Story . “We were together years earlier on the Pro Licence course. His request came out of nothing.
“Imagine the assistant of Pep Guardiola and the assistant of Jurgen Klopp at Arsenal. What a crazy thought. Mikel said he felt: ‘There was just a difference playing Liverpool before and after you came in’. This was the biggest compliment I ever got from somebody.
“I politely said no to him. A few months later, we won the title for the first time in 30 years.”
Since joining the Reds in the summer of 2014 as a youth coach, Lijnders has worked his way up the ranks of Anfield - sandwiched with a brief stint as manager of Dutch outfit NEC Nijmegen in 2018.
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