Former Liverpool coach is one to watch after impressive beginning to life as a manager this year
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Lijnders may seem forever destined to play a secondary role, but the man he chose as his own second in command at Salzburg – former Liverpool colleague Vitor Matos – is showing that he might be set for a different path.Matos left the Austrian club along with Lijnders in December 2024, but while Klopp’s number two headed back to the Premier League, the Portuguese took a job back in his homeland.Taking over at second division club Maritimo, Matos had a job on his hands to get the Madeiran side back in the Primeira Liga. Four months into his role, though, and the 37-year-old is proving to be a talented head coach.Photo by John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty ImagesVitor Matos enjoying success with MaritimoMatos’ role at Liverpool was officially that of elite development coach.
His job was to bridge the gap between the first team and the Liverpool academy, as well as developing players individually.Having joined the Reds in 2019, Matos became a familiar face for supporters and was clearly highly valued by the likes of Klopp and Lijnders.READ MORE: James Pearce shares interesting ‘off the record’ detail he was told about Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool exitThere were certainly risks involved in taking over Maritimo, a big club who had been relegated from the top division in 2023 after 38 years as part of the elite.Having finished 12th in their first second division campaign for almost 40 years, there was pressure on the new man. Having spent five years learning under Klopp, it is clear the German had a huge impact on his tactical approach.Whether Matos succeeds in winning promotion with Maritimo or not, it would not be a surprise to see him being linked with more illustrious jobs in the near future.Matos could be set for an elite coaching careerDespite his young age, Matos has already spent years in the elite game.
Prior to his arrival at Liverpool, the Portuguese had already honed his craft at Porto.Exposure to such big clubs – and such talented players – should mean Matos has a good grounding when it comes to his own career as a manager.If he can take the right lessons from Klopp in particular and put them into practice, he has a real chance of becoming a top level coach.Many new coaches fail early on into their careers and never recover. Lijnders is a good example of this.But with Matos, his grounding with Maritimo has given him a springboard into the future.