Klopp trails only Ferguson in the pantheon of greats
Jurgen Klopp has already won the quadruple. Claiming the FA Cup means that he has become the first Liverpool manager to complete the set of major trophies and only the second to do so in English football history, after Sir Alex Ferguson with Manchester United. Klopp has won the Champions League, Premier League, League Cup and now the FA Cup since arriving at Anfield in 2015.
In less than seven years – Ferguson took 13 to do his clean sweep – he has achieved what evaded Arsene Wenger at Arsenal, Jose Mourinho at Chelsea, Pep Guardiola (so far) at Manchester City, Brian Clough at Nottingham Forest and any of Klopp’s predecessors at Liverpool.
Just for good measure, Klopp has also won the Club World Cup and Uefa Super Cup. In fact, if Liverpool had not lost the Europa League final in 2016, there would not be a single club cup Klopp has not won with them (barring the Community Shield which, whatever Mourinho might say, has a dubious status as a significant piece of silverware).
True, you cannot value winning domestic cups above, say, Guardiola’s outstanding achievement of leading City to the title in three of the past four years and probably four out of five. Or, more pertinently for Liverpool, Bob Paisley winning six league titles and three European Cups.
Klopp would take those in a heartbeat over an FA Cup win, even if it was the first time Liverpool had won that trophy for 16 years. But completing the set is an incredible achievement, and one that confirms Klopp’s status as one of the all-time managerial greats to have worked in this country. And it is made all the greater because Liverpool have done this while still fighting on all fronts this season, with all the physical and psychological toll that takes. They are taking the title race down to the wire and they are in the final of the Champions League. No team have gone deeper into a season and been in contention for everything. They have lost just three out of the 60 games they have played across all competitions, and one of those did not matter
as they still won the Champions League tie against Inter Milan.
Wenger’s “Invincibles” lost six times; United’s treble winners in 1998-99 lost four.
Including the Community Shield, City have lost eight times this season. For Liverpool, all of this has happened, as Klopp reminded everyone at Wembley, after a desperately disappointing 2020-21.
They were ravaged by injuries and their title defence dramatically collapsed. They were even left scrambling around simply to qualify for the Champions League.
They did not win anything. Now there are three games to go and they can win the lot.
Three games in which an unprecedented, and almost unthinkable quadruple, remains possible.
The league is not in Liverpool’s hands, but they can take it to the last day; the Champions League final follows six days later and they can complete the circle of exacting revenge on Real Madrid. If they win their final two league games, Liverpool will end the season with 92 points. Over the past decade, 90 points has been the average required to win the title; before that, it was lower. In the 29 years of the
Premier League, 92 points would have won the title in all but five seasons. And four of those have been since 2017.
There is no doubt that City and Guardiola, and Liverpool and Klopp, have set incredible standards.
City gained 100 points in 2017-18, Liverpool finished with 99 in 201920. These are phenomenal numbers. The context, the history and measuring what Klopp has done against those who went before him matters. Maybe if Liverpool had lost the FA Cup final and finished this season with only the Carabao Cup, it would have felt like a huge disappointment, if not a failure.
Winning on Saturday has changed the mood and Klopp’s demeanour said it all. “So many special stories,” he said.
His is right at the top. Klopp has written his chapter in English football history and, having signed his new contract until 2026, it is far from over. It feels dynastic.