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Tbecame clear Ruben Amorim was able to withstand losing against lower-league opposition. Survive an important European final against one of the worst Tottenham teams in living memory. He withstood home defeats to West Ham and Wolves, finishing 15th, the tactical inflexibility, squandering some of the club’s most promising homegrown talent, a poor winning percentage, labeling the squad the worst in Manchester United history. But there was a single opponent against whom the Portuguese coach would not be allowed to engage. If you challenge the sporting director, and you best not miss.

Regrettably, similar to numerous Premiership defender in Blackburn’s title-winning 1994-95 season, the coach took on Jason Wilcox and appears to have failed. Even the most casual observer will notice the irony here: a manager who frequently berated at his players for losing individual battles crumbling in the face of the white heat and animal charisma of a England's top division's most feared sporting directors.

In truth, this whole bruising episode seems to paint Jason Wilcox in a whole new light. It may have been easy, given his nine months of experience at Southampton, to regard Jason Wilcox as little more than a drudge in the United exoskeleton: an individual whose appointment was due as much to his close relationship with his former boss a fellow executive rather than any verifiable talent. How mistaken we all were. In brilliantly outmanoeuvring United’s feted head coach, as he outmanoeuvred the unfortunate a previous executive before him, he has proved himself as one of football's true generals: a tactical intellect that the club's mid-table rivals are now rightly wary.

The Tactical Clash Regarding Formation & Ideology

For example, this was the director , after having been part of the leadership that hired the rigid 3-4-3 advocate Amorim originally, was instrumental in trying to persuade him to ditch his favored formation. Unsurprisingly, these entreaties faced pushback. However, these judgements carry more weight when issued from the mouth with the unimpeachable soccer background of Jason Wilcox, holder of three England caps and a role in a title-winning side from 31 years ago.

Maybe eventually he might agree to outline his reasoning publicly. Perhaps at some point questions may arise why Amorim is departing with full compensation, with no penalty clause in place. The director seldom speaks publicly, for excellent reasons. The real thinkers in football – individuals such as Jason Wilcox – simply operate on a plane beyond our own mundane comprehension. If he ever did speak, most likely all we would hear would be high-frequency signals and complex calculations. Wanting is not quite the same as being ready to receive.

An Ultimate Power In the Throne

But of course, in training our focus on Jason Wilcox we are obscuring the true genius behind the club's current leadership. Jason Wilcox is, after all, simply carrying out the directives of his superior the billionaire owner, who privately has made very clear his desire for a back four. It is reported, Ratcliffe has also proposed deploying the forward as a right wing-back. Ratcliffe is keen for the club to embrace analytics and metrics. Per reports, during a leadership summit soon after his minority ownership, he announced that United’s style of play “shall be decided in this room”.

After all, Sir Jim is an expert in this technical football matters, drawing from his previous experience in petrochemicals and sailing. Above all he remains immensely wealthy, and as we all know, the rich are the best of us: more perceptive, sagacious, more tactically astute, fundamentally better. Who else would you trust to oversee a strategic plan of cost-cutting, the construction of a modern arena that looks a lot like someone’s leftover knitting, the signing of a new striker?

A Modern Football Order: Directors Above Managers

This represents a shift that is becoming prevalent in top-tier football. Historically, clubs foolishly entrusted big footballing decisions to low-level employees such as coaches, talent spotters – even footballers. Perhaps it was once possible for an up-and-coming, innovative manager with a philosophy and energy to join an organization and see their vision through to completion. Yet how many companies have such individuals established? How many mass redundancies have they managed? Far preferable to place genuine authority where it rightly belongs: the executive class, the casually dressed executives, the individuals with the jaw-dropping LinkedIn profiles. Better by far to determine the strategy by the directors and appoint someone who will adapt their methods accordingly. If managers were formerly chefs, they have become more like delivery personnel: not really responsible for the product, yet finally accountable should it be delivered poorly or fails of the box.

In the meantime, their job has become not about crafting the philosophy and more about marketing it: the front-facing representative on the front desk, the visible figurehead for a club they have minimal power to change. A coach at Chelsea leads a team of literal children into Europe and wins domestic cups, and effectively is dismissed for talking. A manager at Celtic finds his standing damaged while those individuals who hired him live to blunder another day.

The Neoliberal Football: Responsibility for the Coaches

And perhaps on some microcosmic level this represents neoliberalism in action: the elevation of a gilded overclass who are infallible, whose decisions are always sacrosanct, whose errors can invariably be sacked away without justification. Appoint the system coach and then dismiss them for using excessively 3-4-3. Bring in the process guy and later bin him for requiring excessive time. And above all show gratitude; for your modest increases in ticket costs, for the latest player acquisitions, for the reality that the adults – however well qualified – are in charge.