If there is one day that can sum up the very different fates of two of the most successful clubs in British football, it is today. At Anfield in the early hours of this morning, Liverpool beat Manchester United 4-0 without bloodshed, and this season's Premier League has not only killed their opponents twice, but the aggregate score is still a staggering 9-0. When the Home Kop paid tribute to their hero, Paul Pogba, the most expensive player in United history, was incessantly cursed on social media by some of his own supporters, and "get out" was a quick consensus among these Red Devils supporters. Liverpool temporarily topped the Premier League table with a win that was barely suspenseful and most people were hoping they would win. Because Manchester United are clearly in trouble.
For the Reds, it's a season worth forgetting. Fans and clubs start the season optimistic, but will eventually end in a familiar way, talking about reinforcements, clean-up and rebuilding. Nothing seems to have changed, but if the veteran powerhouse, which has won 20 times in England's top flight, wants to regain the title, everything has to change. Looking back now, it was Manchester United who became the closest challenger to Manchester City last season, which is surprising. After signing Sancho, Varane and most notably Cristiano Ronaldo this summer, it was they who were considered title contenders at the start of the season. How naïve these ideas are now, they are 22 points away from Liverpool at the top of the table, and the Reds have one less game to play.
Had it not been for Tottenham's struggles and Arsenal's wobbles, they might have had to give up the idea of Champions League qualification. The new coach – almost certainly Eric Ten Haag of Ajax – will arrive in the summer, Sir Alex Ferguson's fifth managerial appointment since his retirement in 2013. United were champions at the time, but they rarely moved as far from the top as they do now. Liverpool don't have that fear that if they beat Manchester City this season, they will tie Manchester United's league title count. They have already pocketed the League Cup, with the Champions League semi-finals and FA Cup finals next month.
When United are struggling, Liverpool are flying in the wind. United's concern is that it could take them years to really compete with Liverpool and Manchester City. They will never admit it, at least not publicly, but Liverpool should be United's blueprint for moving forward. They have been the benchmark in the Premier League in terms of decision-making, leadership and professionalism, and during Klopp's five years in power, they have also gone from catch-up to front-runner. Fenway Sports group has certainly made mistakes – the collapse of the UEFA Super League is still a stain that is hard to avoid or forgive – but they offer a masterful case of how to build a sustainable club structure, get the right people to play the right roles, appoint the right manager to tie things together when it's most needed and unite the fan base, and then quickly and cleverly assemble a team, a team of the best in world football.
Compare Liverpool's stability under Klopp, then the rapid progress, and look at the collection of mistakes and mistakes under different Manchester United coaches and you will understand their problems. Compare the transfer businesses of the two clubs and you'll see what happens when these issues are allowed to increase. A fish's head rotted first, and United rotted even before Ferguson left. There's a reason the Glazer family's business strategy has been criticized by fans. Their transfer policy is crazy and expensive. While Liverpool were able to find and identify potential stars – Alisson, Van Dijk, Fabinho, Salah, Mane – and sniff out unexpected bargains such as Andy Robertson, United squandered hundreds of millions of dollars on players and managers, and their commitment to the world did not put them in a better position than ever.
For example, how many people in your current squad do you think thrive under Tenhag? Maybe David De Gea? Is Bruno Fernandez possible? Maybe Sancho? Varane and Ronaldo's championship pedigree cannot be ignored, but others at least have doubts. Pogba will leave in the summer, with a £90 million signing to leave for free, with the likes of Nemanja Matic, Juan Mata, Jesse Lingard, Martial, Rashford and Cavani likely to follow. Players such as Harry Maguire, Wan-Bissaka, Fred, Lindelof, Telles, Bailly and Luke Shaw spent around £300 million on the transfer fee alone, but they barely justified the fee.
Meanwhile, Liverpool have begun to piece together Klopp's next great team. The influence of Diaz, Jota and Cornett is clear, all of whom have signed in the past two years. Fulham youth star Fabio Carvalho will arrive in the summer and will form the new generation of the Reds with Xavi Elliott, Curtis Jones, Cade Gordon and the still 23-year-old and talented Arnold. Regardless of this season, Liverpool have the basis to challenge everything in the coming years. They have managers, players, staff and a healthy club structure to compete for the highest accolades.
Manchester United, now, only their names are still worthy of respect. A 4-0 defeat is just a microcosm of United's poor operations in recent years. They and Liverpool are still rivals, and always will be, but facts are facts. And now, the two giants are far apart, both on and off the pitch.