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The Premier League has arguably been the most competitive league in world football since its inception three decades ago.
There have been seven different winners of the competition since then, with the tournament becoming unpredictable season-after-season. But the reason behind this is also the presence of some of the best managers in the game managing in the Premier League.
Good managers are easy to find but it takes a great manager to stay put at a Premier League club. Managing 250 games in the top flight of English football is quite the feat. Yet, there are some greats in the game that have done the same through their tactical intelligence and man-management skills and have consistently coached their sides to countless victories.
On that note, let's take a look at five managers with the most Premier League wins after 250 games.
#5 Arsene Wenger- 146 wins
Arsenal are one of the most successful clubs in the Premier League and one of the focal reasons behind it is Arsene Wenger.
The French manager, who took charge of the north London side in 1996, spent a staggering 22 years at the club before leaving the job in 2018. During this period, he managed 828 games, the most by any Premier League manager in the history of the competition, and recorded 476 victories.
However, his most successful years at Arsenal were his first 10 seasons at the club as he won 11 trophies during that period, including three Premier League titles.
Wenger won 146 of his first 250 league games in English football, which was quite a record at the time and is still a great feat. But this is no surprise as his team consisted of some of the greatest players in the form of Thierry Henry, Denis Bergkamp, William Gallas, Tony Adams, and several others.
Wenger's brand of attacking football was one of the best in the business and his work at the club is unlikely to be forgotten any time soon.
#4 Alex Ferguson- 152 wins
Arsene Wenger was the coming-of-age manager during the 90s, but the top dog in English football at the time was certainly Sir Alex Ferguson.
The Scottish manager had a rather bumpy start to life at Manchester United in the 80s, but turned the tables during the early 90s. With the introduction of the Class of 92 and the beginning of the Premier League era, the Red Devils were ready to sweep multiple trophies season-after-season. However, that was not the only reason behind their success as Ferguson's game-management skills, coupled with the ability to understand and dominate English football, were key in the same.
Hence, it is no co-incidence that he won 152 of his first 250 Premier League games. In all, Ferguson won 528 games in the 810 games he managed and won the Premier League title 13 times, while also lifting the Manager of the Season award on 11 occasions.
#3 Jose Mourinho- 158 wins
Jose Mourinho, or the "special one," as he referred to himself when he first arrived in English football, broke the duopoly of Manchester United and Arsenal in the mid-2000s.
Roman Abramovich, who acquired Chelsea in 2003, hired Mourinho at the beginning of the 2004-05 campaign. The Portuguese manager was fresh from winning the UEFA Champions League with Porto and was now ready to achieve success in England.
Chelsea won back-to-back Premier League titles (2004-05, 2005-06), with the Blues also breaking the record of conceding the least goals (15) in a single campaign in Mourinho's first season. After being sacked in 2007, the Portuguese manager returned to Stamford Bridge in 2013 and went on to bring the league title back to west London the following campaign.
His success with Chelsea was well-documented, but Mourinho's 250th Premier League came while managing Manchester United. The current AS Roma coach was at the helm at Old Trafford for two-and-a-half seasons. Mourinho, in his first 250 league games, recorded 158 victories, which remains a commendable achievement.
Overall, he has won 217 out of the 363 games he managed during his time at Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur. It would not be a surprise if the Portuguese boss returns to English football in the coming years, given his managerial abilities and winning mentality.
#2 Jurgen Klopp- 160 wins
While Wenger, Ferguson and Mourinho were yesteryear stars, Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola are currently ruling the roost in world football.
While we shall touch upon the latter a little later, the current Liverpool boss remains one of the most underrated managers in the history of the game.
Klopp, who has a track-record of winning titles on a budget, has often proved that coaching and mentality are just as important as a player's talent and potential. His man-management skills, aggressiveness in instilling a positive attitude, and heavy mettle football set Anfield alight when he joined in October 2015.
Although his first campaign was nothing to write home about, his side began to take shape in the 2016-17 and 2017-18 campaigns. Liverpool eventually won the Champions League in 2019 before also lifting their first league title in the Premier League era in 2020. Last season, Klopp hit the milestone of managing 250 games in the top-flight of English football, out of which he won 160 games.
Although very close to Mourinho's record, Klopp has achieved a lot with fewer resources than the managers above him. Although he might not have won many titles during this period, his style of football will live long in the memories of Liverpool fans after he eventually leaves the club.
#1 Pep Guardiola- 184 wins
Pep Guardiola is arguably the best manager in the world at the moment and few will debate the same.
The Spaniard, who broke all kinds of records during his time at Barcelona, also achieved a lot of success at Bayern Munich before joining Manchester City in 2016.
Like Klopp, Guardiola took one season to settle into English football before understanding the mantra and instilling his brand of football into the players. Unsurprisingly, Manchester City went on to lift back-to-back league titles (2017-18, 2018-19).
Their first league triumph under Guardiola also saw them hit 100 points, a feat no other team has managed so far in the league's 30-year history. Since then, the Citizens have won two more titles and are currently battling Arsenal to win their third consecutive league trophy this season.
Guardiola also recently hit the landmark of managing 250 matches in the top-flight of English football, having achieved 184 victories during that period. There is little scope for errors while playing under the Spaniard and his win-record is certainly testament to his managerial brilliance and tactical acumen.
