Survey reveals which clubs are best at dealing with European hangovers… and Klopp has impressed
Jurgen Klopp has the second-best win percentage of any Premier League manager in games immediately after a European tie, despite his constant moans about the hectic schedule.
Liverpool have enjoyed much success in recent seasons, winning both the Premier League and Champions League, but Klopp has been furious recently in regular rants at the sheer number of games his side and others are facing.
But despite being aghast at the lack of a five-subs rule, and fuming at having to play on a Saturday lunchtime after a Wednesday night game, it appears Klopp is quite good at managing his side through it.
Jurgen Klopp has an excellent record in Premier League matches after a Champions League tie
Klopp has moaned about the scheduling, but his Liverpool team always find a way to win
As revealed by a survey from BettingOdds.com, Klopp is the second most successful manager in the last five years, earning an average of 2.13 points per game in the matches immediately after a European tie.
He is bettered only by Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola (2.22 PPG), while Unai Emery and Brendan Rodgers are third and fourth respectively.
To qualify for the study, all teams and managers involved must have participated in at least five Premier League games that have directly followed a European fixture within the same week.
In terms of clubs, it is perhaps surprising to see that Leicester are top of the table when it comes to results after a European game, with the Foxes having won 64.3 per cent of their matches.
Manchester City are second with 62.3 per cent, and Liverpool are third with 60 per cent. At the other end of the scale, Everton have the worst record with just a 22.3 per cent win rate from their nine matches over the past five years.
Leicester are a surprising leader in the PPG tally, dealing with their European hangovers well
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s record leaves a lot to be desired though – he sits a dismal third last
For Manchester United fans, meanwhile, the survey also does not make for happy reading, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer only gaining an average of 1.44 points in the games straight after a match in the Champions League or Europa League.
That puts him 15th, or third worst, in the list of managers, behind the likes of Claude Puel, Maurizio Sarri and Manuel Pellegrini.
In the win percentage table, United are sixth with 42.3 per cent, behind most of their traditional rivals – but they do just pip Chelsea (36.6 per cent) to the post.
In yet more misfortune for Everton, they top both the ‘highest dropped points percentage’ table and the list for ‘highest loss percentage’.
Pep Guardiola has best managerial record from the last five years, with 2.22 points-per-game
Look away Alan Pardew, who holds a 0.88 points-per-game league record after a European tie
When the survey is extended from five years to 10 years, Sir Alex Ferguson comes to the fore, sitting pretty with an average of 2.59 points per game in the matches immediately after a round of Champions League fixtures.
He is followed by Rafael Benitez and Carlo Ancelotti, before Guardiola and Klopp come in fourth and fifth respectively.
At the opposite end of the 10-year scale, look away now Alan Pardew. The former Newcastle boss managed just 0.88 points per game following a European tie, while Antonio Conte and Ronald Koeman follow him in a close second with 1.0 PPG.
