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Transpired Ruben Amorim endured a loss to lower-league opposition. Survive an important continental showpiece versus a particularly poor Tottenham teams for many years. He could survive losing at home to domestic rivals, a lowly league position, the tactical inflexibility, squandering some of the club’s best academy products, a poor winning percentage, calling the squad the worst in Manchester United history. Yet, there existed a single opponent against whom Ruben Amorim would not be allowed to tango. You come at Jason Wilcox, and you best not miss.

Unfortunately, similar to numerous top-flight right-back during Blackburn Rovers' championship campaign, the coach came at the executive and appears to have failed. The most distracted of readers can see the irony here: a coach who frequently berated at his players for losing one-on-one duels succumbing when confronted by the white heat and animal charisma of one of the Premier League’s most feared sporting directors.

In truth, this whole painful saga seems to paint Jason Wilcox in a different perspective. It may have been tempting, based on his nine months in a similar role at Southampton, to view Jason Wilcox as little more than a functionary in the United exoskeleton: an individual whose appointment was due largely to his friendship with ex-colleague Omar Berrada rather than any verifiable talent. How mistaken everyone was. In brilliantly outsmarting United’s feted manager, just as he bested the unfortunate Dan Ashworth before him, he has demonstrated to be among football's true generals: a tactical intellect that United’s competitors are now rightly wary.

A Tactical Clash Regarding System & Ideology

To illustrate, it was Jason Wilcox who having been part of the leadership that appointed the rigid 3-4-3 advocate Amorim originally, played a key role in trying to persuade Amorim to abandon his favored formation. Naturally, these pleas were resisted. But perhaps these judgements hold greater authority when issued by a man of a man the impeccable soccer background of Jason Wilcox, a veteran of international appearances and a role in a title-winning side decades past.

Perhaps in time Jason Wilcox may be persuaded to outline his thought processes to the rest of us. Perhaps at some point he might be asked why Amorim is walking away with a full payout, with no compensation reduction clause activated. The director seldom speaks in public, and with very good reason. The real thinkers of this sport – men like him – simply operate on a plane beyond our own mundane comprehension. If he ever did speak, most likely we would perceive is a series of high-frequency signals and four-dimensional whirring. Wanting is not the same as being ready to receive.

The Ultimate Authority In Command

But of course, by focusing our attention on Jason Wilcox we overlook the real power behind the club's current leadership. Jason Wilcox is, after all, merely executing the commands of his line manager Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who privately has made very clear his preference for a four-man defense. It is reported, the owner has also suggested deploying the forward as a right wing-back. Ratcliffe is keen for United to adopt data science and analytics. According to ESPN, in an executive meeting early in his minority ownership, he announced that United’s style of play “will be determined in this room”.

Ultimately, Ratcliffe is a specialist in this technical footballing stuff, leveraging his background in industry and sailing. Most importantly he remains incredibly rich, and it is known, the rich are the best of us: more insightful, more wise, strategically brilliant, simply better. Whom else would you trust to oversee an enlightened programme of austerity, the construction of a modern arena that appears similar to someone’s leftover knitting, the signing of Benjamin Sesko?

A Modern Football Order: Executives Above Managers

This represents a shift we are increasingly seeing at the elite levels of the game. Historically, teams mistakenly delegated major sporting choices to subordinate staff like managers, scouts – even footballers. Perhaps it was once possible for an up-and-coming, innovative manager with ideas and energy to go into a club and implement their plan supported to fruition. But how many businesses have these guys set up? What number of mass redundancies have they overseen? Far preferable to invest genuine authority where it rightly belongs: the leadership tier, the open-necked shirt brigade, the guys with impressive LinkedIn profiles. Better by far to determine the strategy in the boardroom and appoint someone who will adapt their methods to suit. If coaches were formerly chefs, they have become more like delivery personnel: not responsible for the food, yet finally accountable should it be delivered cold or leaks out to meet standards.

In the meantime, a coach's role is increasingly less about defining the vision and more about marketing it: the receptionist of the operation, the visible figurehead of an organisation they have minimal power to change. A coach at Chelsea takes a squad of very young players into the Champions League and wins domestic cups, and essentially gets sacked for speaking out. A manager at Celtic sees his standing damaged whereas the people who hired him live to blunder indefinitely.

The Neoliberal Game: Accountability for the Coaches

And perhaps on some microcosmic level this represents neoliberalism at work: the rise of a gilded elite who can never be wrong, whose choices remain untouchable, whose mistakes can invariably be resolved by sacking without justification. Hire the system coach only to fire them for playing excessively 3-4-3. Bring in the process guy and later discard them for requiring excessive time. And above all be grateful; for your modest increases in ticket costs, for your new player acquisitions, for the fact that the adults – regardless of their expertise – are in charge.