Jose Mourinho's sacking betrays a much bigger underlying problem at Manchester United

When Mourinho's characteristic defensive wall finally crumbled on Sunday night, and Liverpool super-sub Xherdan Shaquiri's brace of deflected goals consigned Manchester United to a familiarly miserable defeat, the symbolism was inescapable. Liverpool had confirmed United's worst ever start to a Premier League season, and what's more they'd done it in style, with a dominant 3-1 victory in front of a jubilant Anfield capacity crowd. Klopp's exciting, lightning-paced football won the day, and in the process, illustrated the change of era was complete. Here was the old emperor, still clinging to the slow football of the pre-Tiki-Taka age, kneeling at the feet of one of the new bright stars in management, the virtuoso that brought us Heavy Metal Football and the Gengenpress. And he had been well and truly beaten. Even with Manchester United flagging, 19 points off the pace of their cross-city rivals who are light years ahead, it still felt mildly shocking when the news came through yesterday morning. Though Mourinho's sacking had in some ways been coming for a while, in another sense it felt premature, jarring in it's obtuse timing. What kind of club sacks their manager a week before the busy festive fixture calendar sees them play five times in two weeks? What kind of club sacks their manager barely before the January transfer window opens, leaving any replacement bewildered and floundering to get up to speed? What kind of club does this through a 60-word statement, with all the lack of gravitas you'd expect from a League 2 side axing an unpopular coach after 13 games? Well apparently, Manchester United are now that kind of club.

Sunday's loss at Anfield was the final nail in the coffin for Mourinho

There are already dozens of potential successors being named in the press, with former Stretford favourite Ole Gunnar Solskjaer being one of the strongest candidates, alongside United veteran Michael Carrick. That these unproven, early-career men are even being rumoured in the wake of Mourinho's departure shows not only how far the club has slipped, but also how out of touch the powers that be at Old Trafford truly are. Manchester United needs an institutional European heavyweight, one who will stay for years, stabilise results, win titles, and create a legacy to wash away the longing for the Ferguson glory years. Managers named in this category so far are the likes of Queiroz, Zidane, Blanc and Pochettino. But why would they go to Manchester United? Take Pochettino, for example. He is working with a much smaller budget, a far less glamorous squad, and at a club whose international brand presence is dwarfed by the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City. However, his team sit three places and 13 points clear of Manchester United, and are playing attractive, expansive football. Obviously Pochettino is one of the tactical prodigies of the modern game, but it's important not to play down the harmonious atmosphere and team spirit he has nurtured. The Old Trafford manager's dug out is a step down for man in his position, and it is pure arrogance for United's board to think otherwise. There is a sense of entitlement around the club as they watch their contemporary dominance fade further and further into the past. Manchester United is no longer the premium option for managers, it is no longer the pinnacle of their career. It is, at best, a calculated risk.

Mauricio Pochettino has been linked with the manager job at Manchester United

This is the situation Manchester United now find themselves in. They are too big for a mid-table manager to step-up and give them the instant success the fans crave, and still have the aftertaste of. But they are also too much of a mess for any reasonable top-level coach to touch them. This managerial limbo state will only serve to compound the issues at the heart of the main problem - The identity has been stripped from Manchester United. Over the course of five years, Woodward, the Glazers and the rest of the boardroom have turned Manchester United into a bloated cash cow, even more of a merchandising juggernaught than at the birth of the Premier League era, but now without the requisite star players or results to back it up. The quest for a revival of the astronomical endeavours with Alex Ferguson has turned the red half of Manchester edgily insane. No-one is good enough, no achievement worthy of quenching the voracious thirst for the first top flight title without the godlike Scotsman's name attached since 1967. It has bred a nasty atmosphere at the club which has made anything but the league title irrelevant to a measure of success. Look at the contempt held for Mourinho's predecessor, Louis Van Gaal. A manager who has won seven league titles across three European top flights, along with numerous cup competitions. Oh, and the small matter of the Champion's League. After taking the Dutch national side to the semi-finals of the 2014 World Cup, he led Manchester United to their first FA Cup win in 12 seasons. His reward? Sacked less than 48 hours later. To say there is a toxic atmosphere at Manchester United is an understatement.

That's what eventually did for Jose Mourinho. It's obvious he's not at his best with this squad, or even this job. He peaked during his Real Madrid era, and barring his last title with Chelsea, has had a relatively poor showing the past few years. His managerial style has been described as dictatorial, while his tactical methods are negative and defensive in an era of bright, counter-attacking football. His signings have left a lot to be desired, with many expensive flops failing to live up to the hype. He is stubborn, he is infuriating, and he plays up to all of this in front of the media, who reciprocate to create a negative feedback loop which sells a lot of papers, but completely distorts the man behind the myth. His power is waning, and his style of play is getting more and more outdated. In the face of all of this, he still managed to guide Manchester United to their first ever Europa League victory, also winning the League Cup in his debut season in charge. Last season was less flashy, but Manchester United finished in 2nd, along with getting to the FA Cup final. Results are results are results - In the midst of all this, Jose Mourinho managed to get trophies and consolidate a strong league position. It's doubtful that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, current manager of Molde FK, the 2nd best team in Norway, will be able to replicate such feats. That the owners of this historic club would rather toy with experimental appointments from the 90's golden era at the expense of tried and true top level managers is maddening. It's indicative of the attitude up and down the club - We want the good times back! But unfortunately, Ole's iconic heroics against Bayern Munich at the Nou Camp are now almost two decades in the past. He is an unproven manager who has already failed in the Premier League with Cardiff City. He will not bring back the halcyon days, no matter how much the Stretford End faithful cross their fingers and squint.

Solskjaer is a fan favourite, but can he save the ship from sinking?

We also saw this attitude with the disastrous appointment of Moyes. While the idea of him getting the job at such a huge club was always going to be a risk, the fans got behind him, as Fergie's hand-picked protege was given his chance on the big stage. Rise, Sir David. He predictably underachieved, and wasn't even given a full season before being replaced with Ryan Giggs, a club hero whose playing career spanned the entirely of the Ferguson era. Giggs similarly failed to re-ignite the Ferguson fire and the club found themselves back at square one, with a full season wasted from bad decision making and lack of oversight. Four years and hundreds of millions of pounds later, the Manchester United board are showing us they have learned nothing. And that's the beating heart of the matter surrounding Jose Mourinho's sacking. It wasn't about getting a better manager. It was about getting rid of Mourinho. Since his failure to win the Premier League title in his first two seasons as manager, (an unforgivable sin in the eyes of the club and some of the more vocal fans) the clock has been ticking. And yesterday, the alarm rang out.

For a club so obsessed with titles and so keen to replicate historical success, Manchester United could scarcely have done better than Jose Mourinho. Since his first Primeira Liga title with Porto 15 years ago, he has won 25 trophies, including three Champion's Leagues and eight top flight titles in four different countries. He is 55, in the middle age of his managerial career, and any way you look at the stats, he has an exceptional record as a coach. To lay the blame for his shortcomings solely at his door is absurd. As the club post-Ferguson has sapped the life out of such world-class players as Alexis Sanchez, Angel Di Maria and Paul Pogba, so it has depleted Jose Mourinho. There's only so many aborted big-money signings, only so many heavily-decorated managers failing before scrutiny has to be placed on the upper board structure at the club. The buck cannot keep stopping at the manager. For Manchester United's sake, I hope that happens sooner rather than later. Jose Mourinho's failure is the symptom, and the rotten organisational structure is the disease. Only time will tell if the Biggest Club In The World™ will find a cure before Manchester United forever loses its identity in the stands, on the field, and in the boardroom. Unfortunately, there may be several more managerial casualties before that happens.