Summary
Jamie Carragher and Jack Wilshere differ on who is the better Premier League manager: Arsene Wenger or Jurgen Klopp.
Carragher supports former Liverpool manager Klopp, whilst Wilshere believes the Frenchman is the superior manager because of his time under him.
Here’s a statistics breakdown of the pair’s Premier League spells.
Following Jurgen Klopp’s departure and Arne Slot’s immediate appointment at Anfield in the summer of 2024, former Liverpool player Jamie Carragher believes the German tactician is superior to Arsenal cult hero Arsene Wenger, while Jack Wilshere, perhaps unsurprisingly, holds a very different opinion.
Since his arrival in October 2015, the ex-Borussia Dortmund man has established himself as one of the finest Premier League managers of all time, alongside Wenger. Sir Alex Ferguson established the standard, and Pep Guardiola has followed in the footsteps of the tenacious Scot – but what about the rest?
Both make convincing reasons for being deemed better than the other, however club legend Carragher, who played 737 times for Liverpool, believes Klopp is still the greater custodian due to his Champions League success during his tenure on X (previously Twitter).
“I would choose Jurgen Klopp over Arsene Wenger. Klopp won the Champions League and advanced to three more finals in his career. Wenger made it to one final. Wenger was a genius battling with Manchester United for less money, but when Chelsea arrived, they couldn’t compete. Klopp has competed with City, United, and Chelsea, each investing a billion pounds!!!”
Wilshere, who had the privilege of playing under Wenger on 197 occasions, has subsequently fired back at the former defender-turned pundit, claiming that his new allegation is’miles off the mark’.
“[Jurgen] Klopp’s transformation of Liverpool is remarkable, but Arsene [Wenger’s] legacy in the Premier League is second to none. Sorry, Jamie, but you’re well off the mark; please don’t be so biassed and respect Arsene and everything he’s done over the years, including guiding the only team in the Premier League to be unbeatable.
“Everyone appreciates what Pep [Guardiola] has done to revolutionise the way we see football in this nation, but don’t forget that AW had a similar effect when he arrived in 1996! You know that era better than I do and have witnessed it, so don’t forget that!”
But who is the best manager? Here’s a breakdown of the pair’s tenures based on Premier League wins, league win %, length of management career, and points per match rate.
Wenger managed Arsenal for 22 years.
Starting with the caveat that Wenger was in charge of Arsenal for far longer than Klopp was at Liverpool. The former arrived in north London in October 1996 and left in June 2018, having overseen an impressive 1234 appearances, 828 of which were in the top division.
In addition, Klopp, who has the finest record against Pep Guardiola, knows when to clock off, which has kept his standing among the Anfield crowd as sweet as it might have been post-departure. After eight seasons in the northeast of England, the 56-year-old ended his term on a high note, unlike Wenger.
Wenger’s insistence on staying in charge of the Emirates Stadium team could be his undoing. Despite being their leader for many years, the final stages of his tenure were marred by off-field turmoil.
Premier League Triumphs
Klopp won Liverpool’s only ever Premier League trophy.
One of the major characteristics for a successful Premier League manager is a winning record in the English league. Over the years, managerial behemoths such as Maurizio Sarri, Harry Redknapp, and David Moyes have all left the top flight as confirmed ‘almost men’.
That is not the case for either of the individuals in issue, who have all expressed their satisfaction of being English champions. Throughout his 22-year Arsenal career, the Frenchman had to contend with Ferguson-led Manchester United on his route to the final.
However, he did win three Premier League titles – in 1997/98, 2001/02, and 2003/04 – and was the mastermind behind the club’s ‘Invincibles’ season, in which they managed to escape without a league win.
Liverpool’s 38-game winning streak occurred during the 2019/20 season, when there were no crowds in the stadiums to see history being made. The Reds defeated Manchester City to win the Premier League title for the first time in history. However, the fact that Klopp had a shorter tenure should play a role.
Premier League Winning Percentage
A difference of 4.57% between the two
One of the most comparable numbers comparing the two is their Premier League victory percentage, which eliminates any time-related issues, most notably the length of their respective tenures.
Wenger won 476 out of 828 Premier League games, accounting for 58%. The north Londoners struggled under the current FIFA employee, as seen by their 199 draws and 153 loses throughout his tenure.
Overall, Wenger, whose rivalry with Ferguson is widely regarded as one of the greatest of all time, had a favourable domestic record, although it was still lower than Klopp’s (62.57%). During his nine-season reign, the latter managed 334 Premier League games, winning a total of 209 of them.
Klopp had a higher victory rate than his Arsenal rival, having lost only 47 games and drawn the remaining 78. Of course, his shorter tenure made his record more sustainable, and Wenger’s terrible finish to his managerial career at the capital club also played a role.
Points per Match Rate
Klopp recorded a rate of 2.11 across nine seasons.
Similarly to win %, when comparing two of the finest managers to ever grace the top tier, limiting the scope of their respective careers is the simplest method to separate their stats and determine who comes out on top.
Looking at their points per match rate does exactly that. In terms of overall points, Wenger accumulated 1,627 points in 828 games at the helm, owing to his aforementioned record against some of the most tough teams in the country – and, indeed, the world.
Given that Klopp has only been at the top level of English football for a short period, his overall point total is significantly lower. His 62.57% win rate has resulted in 705 points, giving him a points-per-match rate of 2.11 and placing him third all-time.
On the other hand, Wenger ranks eighth on that list, with a subpar rate of 1.96, when compared to Klopp and others who have managed in England’s top division. Jose Mourinho, Antonio Conte, and Roberto Mancini all rank higher than the Frenchman in that regard.
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