Arsene Wenger clashes with Jurgen Klopp as Club World Cup final looms

Arsene Wenger has fired back at Jurgen Klopp's scathing criticism of the Club World Cup, insisting the tournament is overwhelmingly backed by the clubs who have competed.

The former Liverpool manager branded the competition "the worst idea ever invented" in a withering attack on FIFA's ambitious project. However, Wenger, who serves as FIFA's Chief of Global Football Development, has robustly defended the tournament, claiming it has been a resounding success with clubs, players and fans alike.

The former Arsenal legend didn't mince his words when addressing Klopp's harsh verdict. "I am going to give a very boring answer to a very interesting question. Everyone is entitled to an opinion and I don't share the view of Jurgen Klopp at all.

"I feel a Club World Cup is needed. If you make enquiries to all the clubs who were here then 100 percent of answers would be that they would want to do it again. That's the best answer of what the clubs think of a Club World Cup.

"And the decisive question is do the fans like it or not? We believe the attendances were projected as low and in reality were much higher. The answer is there."

Wenger also stood firm on the tournament's four-year cycle whilst also defending the standard of pitches across the United States. "The next edition will be 2029. That's always been the case [rather than to play the Club World Cup every two years].

"We live in a world of passing, but the common thing with PSG is they are all dribblers. They can go one vs. one and then they make the pass. Dembele, Barcola, Doue, they all go at you first. They are not scared of you. That's very interesting to see from a dominant team.

"We've had two kinds of feedback. The first is on the quality of the training pitches. When we visited the clubs, we had very positive feedback. We had very few complaints about the quality of the game pitches.

"In two different venues [there was a problem], one of them was Orlando. But we shouldn't underestimate the quality of the permanent [real grass] pitches.

"The grass is a bit different here. It's a bit harsher or more resistant than in other countries. The pitches were 'flat'. But once we watered the grass, everyone was happy. The weather has been hot but of course we can see about kick-off times, review and possibly look at hiding games earlier in the day at stadiums with roofs."