Sunday 15 January 2017 11:07, UK
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has the best record of any top coach against Jose Mourinho.
It may have been a difficult 18 months for Jose Mourinho, but the Manchester United manager still boasts a formidable record against his rival managers. During his time at the top, the 53-year-old has had the measure of most of the top coaches in the game.
However, Mourinho's record against one man in particular would suggest that Sunday's game between Manchester United and Liverpool at Old Trafford could prove tricky. Jurgen Klopp boasts an impressive record in his six previous meetings with Mourinho.
The Liverpool boss has won three of his six matches against Mourinho's teams, losing only once. Indeed, even that solitary 2-0 defeat came after his Borussia Dortmund side had beaten Real Madrid 4-1 in the first leg and so progressed in the Champions League anyway.
When the two were reunited in the Premier League, Klopp's Liverpool ran riot at Stamford Bridge, beating Mourinho's Chelsea 3-1 in 2015 with the Portuguese only stopping the rot by overseeing a controlled United display to earn a goalless draw at Anfield in October.
No other top coach can better Klopp's 50 per cent win percentage against Mourinho, with many of his high-profile managerial adversaries struggling against him. Antonio Conte does have a 50 per cent win ratio but has only faced Mourinho on two occasions.
It's not so encouraging for some of the other big names. Mauricio Pochettino has won only one of his 11 matches against Mourinho, while Arsene Wenger can only point to a solitary Community Shield triumph from his 16 games against his old foe.
Even Sir Alex Ferguson only got the better of Mourinho twice in 16 attempts, while the current United manager also has a winning record against the likes of Louis van Gaal, Carlo Ancelotti, Rafael Benitez and Claudio Ranieri.
Pep Guardiola has fared somewhat better having won eight of his 18 matches against Mourinho, scoring 30 goals against his sides in the process. But he has also been beaten four times, most recently in the EFL Cup tie at Old Trafford in October.
As a result, it's Klopp who has got the better of Mourinho most consistently over the years. He has beaten his Real Madrid side and he has beaten his Chelsea side. Liverpool fans will be hoping he can add Mourinho's United to the list this Sunday.
