Jamie Carragher is right - Jürgen Klopp is superior to Arsène Wenger

Jamie Carragher is rarely one to shy away from an opinion, even if it might not be too popular. The former Liverpool defender’s latest hot take is certainly catching some flak from rival supporters.

With Jürgen Klopp’s time at Liverpool now at an end, there is inevitably some discussion as to where he ranks among the Premier League’s great managers. As much as rival fans might like to play down his achievements at Anfield, there is no doubt the German deserves to be in the conversation.

The only question is where exactly he ranks. There are some obvious names for him to be considered alongside, with Sir Alex Ferguson and Pep Guardiola heading the list. Carragher though has caused a stir online with his placing of Klopp.

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“I would put him [Jürgen Klopp] above [Arsène] Wenger, with the only reason being the Champions League,” Carragher said on the Stick to Football podcast. “Arsenal didn’t quite crack that did they, but Klopp got to three finals, won it once, and I just think coming up against City and the points totals as well.

“I’d put Pep Guardiola top of Premier League [history]. Sir Alex Ferguson, what he did at Aberdeen, maybe puts him above Pep, but in terms of the Premier League, Guardiola has won six in seven [Premier League titles], and he’s only been here for eight years. Ferguson would have only won his first one after being there for seven years. I’d go, Pep [Guardiola], [Sir Alex] Ferguson, José [Mourinho] because he came back and won the league with Chelsea, then [Jürgen] Klopp next.”

Like any opinion that is shared in football these days, Carragher’s opinion has been met with howls of derision online. But is it really that wild to suggest Klopp was better than Wenger?

The Frenchman has two major things going for him —three Premier League titles compared to Klopp’s one, and of course the unbeaten season of 2003/04.

The first of those points though ignores what Liverpool has had to compete against under Klopp. Having taken over at a side skulking around mid-table, the German turned the Reds into the only side to seriously challenge the juggernaut that is Manchester City until Arsenal this year, and ended a 30-year wait for a title in the process.

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That last part is particularly salient. As any Liverpool fan will tell you, before Klopp’s arrival, it felt like that long wait for a league title would never end. Wenger’s first title, meanwhile, came just seven years after the Gunners’ last one.

As for the unbeaten season, as great an achievement as that was, Liverpool bettered Arsenal’s points tally of 90 on three occasions under Klopp, and would have broken the 100-point barrier during the 2020 title win had it not taken its foot off the gas after the restart for the pandemic.

As Carragher rightly points out, Klopp also did what Wenger was unable to do at Arsenal by bringing the Champions League back to Anfield. And those that are currently lauding the Frenchman over his German counterpart might want to look back on how both left their respective clubs.

While Klopp was celebrated, with Liverpool fans left distraught at the idea of him departing, Wenger rather outstayed his welcome at the Emirates Stadium. His final few years with Arsenal were marred by fans calling for him to leave long before he eventually made way, with the Gunners having long faded away as title challengers.

It is open to interpretation — and probably a hint of bias — whether you think Klopp was superior to Wenger. There won’t be a single Liverpool fan in any doubt as to the German’s impact at Anfield though, and for that reason, Carragher is right.