Ian Wright says Man City title battles 'broke' Klopp as guilty verdict lands

Ian Wright has claimed the sustained effort required to compete with Manchester City during their era of domestic dominance ultimately ‘broke’ former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp — comments made on the same evening an independent commission found City guilty of 114 financial charges.

The Premier League released an official statement confirming the verdict on Tuesday, with the ruling addressing financial breaches across nine seasons between 2009 and 2018. Manchester City have maintained their innocence and are preparing an appeal.

Speaking on ITV Sport’s coverage of England’s international fixture against Czechia, Wright reflected on the title battles between Liverpool and City at the peak of the Klopp-Guardiola rivalry — a period in which Liverpool accumulated extraordinary points totals only to repeatedly finish second.

“You look at what Klopp went through with that team and what Klopp went through himself to try and beat that [Man City] team to try and break them,” Wright told presenter Mark Pougatch. “And in the end, it probably broke him and it’s been done wrong, in an illegal way. It’s so sad. It’s going to keep getting deeper, it’s going to get so litigious now — it’s so sad.”

Klopp departed Liverpool at the end of the 2023/24 season after nine years at the club, citing a depletion of energy as his reason for stepping away from management. His side lost the Premier League title by a single point in both 2018/19 and 2021/22, despite accumulating 97 and 92 points respectively — totals that would have won the title in almost any other season in the competition’s history.

Wright’s assessment reflects a broader sentiment that Liverpool’s achievements under Klopp were unfairly undermined if City’s domestic dominance was built on financial misconduct. The timing of the verdict adds a charged backdrop to City’s first Premier League fixture after the international break — a trip to Anfield on Sunday, 11 October.

With City set to appeal, Wright warned the legal fallout is far from over. “It’s going to go on so long,” he said, suggesting the case will cast a prolonged shadow over English football well beyond this initial ruling.