Liverpool's problems pale in comparison to latest Man Utd meltdown

For the second season in a row, Manchester United has chosen to get rid of its head coach midway through the season, a drama Liverpool and Arne Slot have managed to avoid

However bad things have been for Liverpool this season, Manchester United is a reminder it could always be worse(Image: Getty Images)

The trains rumbling north from London on Sunday were a bleak place for those Liverpool fans who made the journey to Craven Cottage, not least because pre-planned engineering work forced many to travel back via Manchester.

Reds rarely choose to visit their near neighbours, but it was a particularly undesirable destination this weekend after Liverpool once again dropped points on the road. Then again, the locals have little to be giddy about at present.

Manchester United’s latest Premier League slip-up proved more consequential than Liverpool’s, as a 1-1 draw at Leeds and a post-match outburst brought an end to the short reign of Ruben Amorim.

That’s now five permanent managers or head coaches — there is a significant difference, after all — that United have parted ways with since Jurgen Klopp was appointed at Anfield in 2015.

In the decade since, no matter the Reds’ fortunes, supporters have at least been able to take solace in the farcical scenes routinely on show at Old Trafford.

But it seems particularly apt this season, when neither Liverpool nor United’s campaigns have gone to plan. The former has dropped from runaway champions to top-four contenders. Performances have been bland, tactics have been scrutinised and individuals have underwhelmed.

Yet, no one quite does drama like United. Amorim never convinced as a Premier League head coach and seemed unable to get to grips with the scale of the club. His tactics were mystifying, the selection policy bordering on bizarre, while it almost seemed like the 40-year-old was goading the United hierarchy in the final days of his premiership.

Ruben Amorim was sacked as Manchester United manager on Monday(Image: Getty Images)

Amorim’s dismissal was deserved, but he is just the tip of the iceberg. The biggest impediment remains the dysfunctional leadership group assembled by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, a man who is quickly becoming as unpopular as the Glazers. It leads to an environment that slowly drains the motivation of any United manager - Amorim is not the first. It always ends in the same ugly fashion.

But United does not exist in a vacuum. Look at the chaotic events at Chelsea in the first week of 2026, while Tottenham is a club in paralysis, where no head coach seems capable of thriving. However bad things have got at Anfield this season, it’s worth remembering it could always be worse.

And it’s no coincidence that events in Merseyside never reach the same level of toxicity. Not every decision made by Liverpool’s hierarchy is correct, nor is every choice unanimously popular, but the club infrastructure is such that it is equipped for the inevitable bumps in the road.

Events have taken a backward step at Liverpool this season(Image: Jan Kruger/Getty Images)

A situation where a head coach publicly criticizes the club hierarchy or questions the terms in which he was hired would simply never transpire under FSG’s watch.

Liverpool deserves some credit for sticking with Arne Slot while others would invariably have buckled following a run of nine defeats in 12. But there was never a feeling that Slot was clinging on, nor that he was at odds with the higher-ups.

While Liverpool is far from the juggernaut it was last season, results have at least stabilized. There are slow signs of improvement, even if fans are desperate for greater attacking variation.

With the champions unbeaten in nine, ahead of both United and Chelsea in the table, and in better form than their rivals, they also appear best placed at this stage to secure a top-four spot.

That’s before considering how the knee-jerk reactions impact the club’s long-term plans and finances. For instance, United will now be forced to once again construct a squad to suit the style of a new head coach.

The hope at Anfield remains that 2025/26 is a blip, an unavoidable transitional season that has been long overdue. There is still belief that Slot can revive Liverpool’s fortunes and challenge at the summit once again in the near future.

Undeniably, there are frustrations with Liverpool’s current situation, but it is worth remembering just how tumultuous the rest of the Premier League can be.