This past summer, John Achterberg brought an end to his over 15-year tenure at Liverpool by joining Al-Ettifaq in Saudi Arabia, following former manager Jurgen Klopp out of Anfield.
Achterberg is a highly respected figure in football, having served as a goalkeeper coach at various levels within the Reds before being appointed to the senior coaching staff in 2011.
During his time at the club, he worked under both Klopp and his predecessor, Brendan Rodgers, and had the opportunity to train notable goalkeepers like Pepe Reina and Alisson Becker on a daily basis.
In addition to his coaching accomplishments, Achterberg enjoyed a successful playing career in the Netherlands and England, notably making his mark with Tranmere Rovers before transitioning into coaching.
Opening up on Klopp’s decision to leave Anfield last season, Achterberg told Flashscore: “We were all surprised by the decision; no one saw it coming.
“But that’s football.
“In terms of the team, we did lose a bit of quality towards the end of the season, but overall, we had a good campaign considering all the changes.
“We fought for all the trophies until the final month and managed to win one.
“Even now, with the new players who have come in, the team is still strong and producing great results.
“I hope they will continue to win many more trophies.”
On his time at Liverpool and working with Kelleher, Achterberg added: “Being part of a club like Liverpool for 15 years is like a dream for many, especially as a goalkeeper coach.
“To stay in that position for such a long time, you have to be good at what you do.
“I loved working with the goalkeepers every day, helping them improve.
“I did a lot of recruiting, watching games in all the major competitions.
“It was a great experience, but there were ups and downs.
“In the early years, there were more lows because the club wasn’t in a strong financial position.
“Then Fenway Sports Group came in, and things improved a lot.
“We had a great season under Rodgers, with players like (Philippe) Coutinho, (Raheem) Sterling, and (Luis) Suárez.
“When Jürgen came in, we reached a higher level, and the fans connected more with the team.
“Jürgen’s style improved the atmosphere, and we won many trophies, though I think we could have won even more.
“For me, though, it’s more about developing goalkeepers.
“Seeing keepers like Alisson, (Caoimhin) Kelleher, (Danny) Ward, and (Peter) Gulácsi achieve such success is the most rewarding part of the job.
“I was lucky to work with some great goalkeepers, and more importantly, they were all great people who worked hard every day.
“They respected each other in training and matches, helping one another improve.
“That was a key part of our goalkeeping squad’s atmosphere, and as a coach, it was something I wanted to cultivate.
“I treated each goalkeeper the same because, in the end, we are a squad, and everyone is important.
“I especially enjoyed seeing Kelleher rise through the ranks from the youth teams to playing in important matches for the first team.
“It was also rewarding to see keepers like Ward and Gulácsi develop and move on to other clubs for big fees, where they continued to perform at a high level.
“That shows the quality of work we did.
“It was fantastic when Alisson came to the club because you could immediately see the level he brought.
“The quality, the power, the speed—it was clear we had one of the best goalkeeping squads with him, Kelleher, and Adrian.
“For a time, we effectively had two number ones with Alisson and Kelleher.
“I enjoyed every training session with them.
“I feel fortunate to have trained what is probably the best goalkeeper in the world in Alisson, but ultimately, it’s the goalkeepers who deserve all the credit for their performances on the pitch.”
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