Liverpool, Newcastle and Tottenham Managers Under Pressure

Only one team can win the Premier League title each season. But even when a side falls short, they could still have a “good season”. Finishing as runners-up and pushing the eventual champions close gives their fans something to cheer for, despite the ultimate disappointment. And qualifying for the Champions League is not to be sniffed at, given the financial rewards available and the chance for European glory.

In the 2025/26 season, however, there are three big clubs that are not challenging for the title and are massively underperforming: Liverpool, Newcastle United, and Tottenham. Liverpool are the current champions, Spurs won the Europa League last term, and the Magpies are bankrolled by significant Saudi investment. And yet each of these sides is falling well below their fans’ expectations. As things stand, Liverpool are in sixth place, Newcastle in 12th, and Spurs – who haven’t won in the Premier League since early December – are down in 15th.

With all three managers now under serious pressure, we’ll assess each of these underperforming sides and whether their bosses are safe… for now.

Liverpool – Will Slot Earn Enough Time to Build on Klopp’s Legacy?

Last season, Liverpool won the title by 10 points from Arsenal in second, with Manchester City third. After 25 games of the 2024/25 campaign, Slot’s men accumulated 60 points, having lost just once. After 25 games of the 2025/26 season, however, they have just 39 points on the board, with eight defeats and only one win from their last seven league outings. Furthermore, Liverpool didn’t rest on their laurels in the transfer market in the summer. On the contrary, they spent big. And bringing in the likes of Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, Milos Kerkez, Hugo Ekitike, and Jeremie Frimpong didn’t come cheap. Surely such an investment should have resulted in an effective defence of their title?

Unfortunately, for Liverpool fans, things haven’t turned out that way. The early league results of the current campaign were positive as they won their first five games. However, that didn’t tell the whole story. The Reds relied on lots of late goals and a fair amount of luck. Indeed, their luck ran out towards the end of September, and they promptly lost six of the next seven Premier League games. That essentially destroyed their chances of defending their top-flight crown. There has been an uptick in form since, but it is patchy at best, at least domestically.

European Form Could Rescue Slot

Respite – and perhaps breathing space for Slot – has come in the Champions League. Slot’s men finished third in the league phase, with only Bayern Munich and Arsenal above them. Could Liverpool somehow go all the way and win their first Champions League title since 2018/19? If they did, Slot’s job would surely be secure, irrespective of where they finish in the Premier League. But failure in Europe, coupled with missing out on Champions League qualification, would surely prompt the board to sack their manager.

Of course, at the time of writing, there’s still time for the Reds to turn things around in the Premier League. They can’t win it, but they could at least secure a top-four finish. Based on their recent form, however, that looks like a tough task.

Newcastle – Howe Convinced He’s the Right Man, But Do the Newcastle Owners Agree?

Newcastle were on the back foot before the current season even began, thanks to the Alexander Isak transfer saga. The Swedish striker had scored 21 league goals for Newcastle in 2023/24 and 23 the following season. So losing him to Liverpool was always going to be a blow. Eddie Howe brought in a couple of attacking replacements in Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa. However, so far they have only scored eight Premier League goals between them (Woltemade has scored seven of them). The bottom line is that the Magpies have lost far too many games against sides they would hope to beat. Defeats to the likes of West Ham, Brentford (twice), and bitter rivals Sunderland have not gone down well with the fans.

Howe Defiant and Determined to Continue

Eddie Howe is defiant as things stand, insisting he would resign if he didn’t think he was the right man to take the club to the next level. If things don’t improve by the end of the current campaign, however, he’ll probably be shown the door. After his side’s recent 3-2 defeat to Brentford, Howe said, “I’ve got to think that I’m the right person for the job and I’m giving value and helping the players and, ultimately, that I’m the right person to get results.”

As with Arne Slot at Liverpool, the Champions League might buy Howe some time. His team performed well in their final league phase game, earning a draw against European champions PSG in Paris. They didn’t make it into the top eight, however, and face a tricky play-off against Qarabag. If the Magpies stumble at that hurdle, could the club’s hierarchy decide to change the man in the dugout? Realistically, we think the owners will be patient enough to wait until the end of the season, then they’ll take stock and assess whether Howe really is the right man for the job.

Tottenham – Another Appalling League Campaign… Could Europe Save Frank?

Languishing at the wrong end of the Premier League table is nothing particularly new for Spurs. They finished 17th last term, just one place above the relegation zone. Despite winning the Europa League, Spurs’ poor league showing cost Ange Postecoglou his job. This season, a similar story might play out again. Thomas Frank hasn’t enjoyed success on the domestic front, but his side has been flying in the Champions League. The north Londoners finished fourth in the league phase of the competition and now progress to the Round of 16.

On the home front, however, things are dismal. One Premier League win in 10 is unacceptable given that Spurs are (somehow) considered one of the Big Six teams. Their 2-0 victory over Manchester City at the Etihad back in August seems like an age ago. There have been occasional bright sparks along the way. Battling back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 with Man City recently was positive, for instance. But all too often, Frank’s men have capitulated in games they should be winning. There are no “easy” games in the Premier League, but losing to West Ham, Nottingham Forest, and Bournemouth twice is well below par for a side with Tottenham’s ambitions.

Will Slot, Howe or Frank Get Sacked Before the End of the Season?

In football, you can never say never. The owners of Liverpool, Newcastle, or Tottenham might be taking note of events at Manchester United. The Red Devils had underperformed badly this season, but the board sacked Ruben Amorim and installed Michael Carrick. Since then, to say results and performances have improved is something of an understatement. There will certainly be a temptation to attempt something similar with these clubs.

The difference, as things stand, is that Liverpool, Newcastle and Spurs are all still in with a chance of European success. While Champions League glory remains a possibility, we think it’s unlikely any of these clubs would sack their manager. Unlikely is not impossible, however, and if any of these teams fails to improve soon, the writing could be on the wall for their managers.