Jurgen Klopp announced he will be leaving Liverpool come the end of the season and his farewell tour has begun. He will no doubt go down as an all-time Premier League great, as will his Liverpool team, but how much more could they have won if it wasn’t for Pep Guardiola?
Jürgen Klopp has announced his decision to step down as #LFC manager at the end of the season, having informed the club’s ownership of his wish to leave his position in the summer.
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) January 26, 2024
Playing Second Fiddle to Pep Guardiola
For those interested in betting on the Premier League online, you will find Liverpool with odds of 5/1 to claim the title in Klopp’s last season. And this is not a rare occurrence. For much of Klopp’s tenure on Merseyside, he’s had to live in Guardiola and Manchester City’s shadow.
The reigning champions have won five of the last six titles in a period of nonpareil dominance. In fact, they are 2/5 in the football odds to lift the trophy this season and do what no English club has ever managed: win the Premier League four times in a row.
Since his arrival in England in 2015, Klopp has rebuilt Liverpool into one of English football’s great teams. Although mostly coming out second-best, the German has managed to go toe-to-toe with City, fighting their seemingly limitless budget with astute acquisitions and impressive scouting.
However, Klopp’s decade in the league will always be remembered for City’s dominance. The blue side of Manchester celebrated their first title and fifth title, all while Klopp managed to add just one to the Liverpool trophy cabinet.
The only two Premier League clubs to ever win the Treble ✨@ManUtd 🤝 @ManCity pic.twitter.com/24Mc4t0IXG
— Premier League (@premierleague) June 10, 2023
Finishing Second with 97 and 92 Points
Perhaps the most unfortunate seasons for Klopp and Liverpool were 2018-19 and 2021-22. Both times, they registered 90+ points. Both times, they finished runners-up to Manchester City.
The first was The Reds 97-point campaign in 2018/19, but despite losing just one match all season, they were one point short of City. They were one point short yet again in 2022, losing just twice all season and scoring 94 goals on their way to a second-place finish.
In a huge percentage of First Division seasons since the establishment of the English Football League, these mammoth totals would have been enough to claim silverware. Manchester United even claimed the 1996-97 Premier League title with a record-low 75 points, a whopping 22 behind Liverpool’s 97-point campaign.
The one time Klopp did manage to best Guardiola, his Liverpool side finished the campaign with an incredible 99 points, a tally only City have managed to best. They finished 18 points clear of the Manchester club in 2019-20.
Liverpool Denied Spot as Most Successful English Club
If both of those 90+ point campaigns had ended in Premier League trophies, Liverpool (19 titles) would have surpassed their old rivals Manchester United (20 titles) as the most decorated club in top-flight history.
This would have been a monumental achievement for Klopp, who would have gone down in folklore as the manager who put Liverpool back on top of English football.
But it wasn’t to be. Jurgen Klopp is the only manager in football to have beaten Pep Guardiola more times than he has lost to him, but his time in the Premier League will largely be remembered for what might have been.
