Liverpool heroes in dangerous territory with 5-0 thrashings and a losing streak at sinking European side

Former Liverpool coach Pep Lijnders made his managerial debut this summer by accepting the top coaching position at Austrian club Red Bull Salzburg.

Jurgen Klopp's former right-hand-man brought a taste of Anfield with him to his new job, bringing in both Bobby Clark and Stefan Bajcetic on permanent and loan deals respectively.

Furthermore, Klopp himself now has influence over the club after accepting a role as 'head of global soccer' at Red Bull in which he will oversee the running of each of the affiliated RB clubs.

Former Liverpool coach suffers nightmare start at Red Bull Salzburg

Salzburg have established themselves as a genuine powerhouse of Austrian football in recent years, gaining a stronghold on the domestic league while making inroads into being a competitive Champions League outfit.

Responsible for the respective breakthroughs of Erling Haaland, Sadio Mane, Benjamin Sesko and Marcel Sabitzer, the club has developed a reputation as one of the most effective talent farms on the continent.

Last season's Austrian Bundesliga runners-up have, however, suffered somewhat of a fall from grace since the arrival of the Liverpool quartet.

The club currently sit fourth in the league having recently suffered a humiliating 5-0 defeat to fellow Austrian giants Sturm Graz, while they are yet to pick up a single point in the newly-formatted Champions League group stage, sparred bottom spot by just a single goal difference.

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A 0-4 home defeat to French side Brest on Matchday 2 confirmed just how far off the pace Lijnders' side really are, while defeats to fellow suspected strugglers Sparta Praha and Dinamo Zagreb without scoring a single goal have left the club staring down the barrel of an early elimination.

Bajcetic, hailed as one of Liverpool's most promising youngsters, has failed to find any real consistency to make the best of his loan move so far having seen his minutes largely restricted by the Dutch manager over recent games.

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A tough away double-header face Salzburg in the Champions League, with Feyenoord and Bayer Leverkusen on the horizon before PSG and the two Madrid sides round off their group stage campaign.

Still blessed with plenty of exciting young talent, Lijnders will realistically be hoping for a turnaround in their domestic form in order to turn around what has proven to be a rather difficult debut season in senior management.