Liverpool play their first FA Cup match of the 2023/24 season on Sunday, but it is expected to be a tough one for the Reds.Jurgen Klopp and his players are set to visit Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium. Liverpool are looking to end their three-match winless run against the Gunners. Klopp has revolutionized Liverpool since joining in 2015, but the FA Cup has not always been his priority.
In fact, Liverpool advanced to the quarter-finals once under the German side and won the same competition in 2022. But how does Klopp’s FA Cup record compare to fellow Premier League managers Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta?
Pep Guardiola’s FA Cup record Despite this impressive record, Guardiola only has two FA Cups to acknowledge the brutality of knockout football. The Spaniard won the title in 2019 and recorded his second victory last season when he beat Manchester United 2-1 in the final. However, in his only FA Cup meeting with Klopp, Guardiola was unable to secure a win. Mikel Arteta’s FA Cup record Arsenal beat Guardiola’s Citizens in the semi-final and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang collected the award against Chelsea at Wembley. However, Manchester City beat Arsenal in the final last season and the Gunners 1-0 in the fourth round.In just 11 FA Cup matches, Arteta won 8 and lost 3. Next Sunday he and Klopp will meet for the first time in the competition. Jurgen Klopp’s FA Cup record In fact, Klopp barely played in the opening round of the competition, but that cannot excuse such a poor record given Liverpool’s resources. The Liverpool manager has also drawn with Exeter City (2016), Plymouth Argyle (2017) and Shrewsbury Town (2020).
Klopp’s record for Arsenal in the third round this season may not improve significantly, but the former Borussia Dortmund boss wants his side to be more competitive than before. But it’s worth remembering that Klopp has more FA Cup trophies in his cupboard than any previous Liverpool manager.
Although he arrived in England more recently than the German, the Manchester City manager has played in far more FA Cup games than Klopp. Since his FA Cup debut in 2017, manager Guardiola has played in 36 FA Cup matches, recording 30 wins, 5 losses and 1 draw.
In 2022, Liverpool won the trophy and eventually beat Chelsea in the final, with Manchester City winning 3-2 in the semi-finals at Wembley Stadium.
Arsenal boss Arteta lacks FA Cup experience compared to Guardiola and Klopp, but still managed to lift the trophy during his time in north London. As well as his time as Guardiola’s assistant coach at Manchester City, Arteta has won the FA Cup once, which came in his debut season with the Gunners in 2020.
As mentioned above, Klopp’s performance in the FA Cup leaves a lot to be desired. Aged 56, he has refereed 24 league games and won just half of his FA Cup games. In the remaining games, Klopp recorded 5 wins and 7 losses. Liverpool’s defeat in the league was disappointing. Including losses to Wolverhampton Wanderers (2017) while still in the Championship and West Bromwich Albion (2018) at Anfield.
