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Itranspired Ruben Amorim was able to withstand a loss to lower-league opposition. Survive losing a crucial continental showpiece versus one of the worst Spurs sides for many years. He withstood losing at home to domestic rivals, a lowly league position, the tactical inflexibility, squandering the team's most promising homegrown talent, a poor winning percentage, calling the squad the worst the club has ever seen. Yet, there existed a single opponent against whom Ruben Amorim was not permitted to engage. You come at the sporting director, and you best not miss.

Unfortunately, similar to numerous Premiership right-back in Blackburn’s title-winning campaign, the coach came at Jason Wilcox and appears to have failed. The most distracted of readers will notice the paradoxical situation: a coach who often railed at his players for failing in one-on-one duels succumbing in the face of the white heat and formidable presence of a the Premier League’s most intimidating sporting directors.

In truth, this whole painful saga seems to paint the director in a different perspective. Perhaps it might have been easy, based on his nine months in a similar role with the Saints, to regard him as little more than a drudge in the United exoskeleton: an individual who owed his position largely to his friendship with his former boss Omar Berrada rather than any demonstrable skill. How wrong everyone was. By masterfully outsmarting the club's celebrated head coach, as he outmanoeuvred the hapless Dan Ashworth before him, he has proved himself to be among football's true generals: a tactical intellect that United’s mid-table rivals are now rightly wary.

A Tactical Conflict Regarding Formation and Philosophy

For example, this was the director who having been part of the hierarchy that appointed the rigid 3-4-3 advocate Amorim originally, was instrumental in attempting to convince him to ditch his beloved 3-4-3. Naturally, these entreaties faced pushback. However, these judgements hold greater authority when delivered from the mouth with the unimpeachable football pedigree he possesses, a veteran of three England caps and a role in a championship team from 31 years ago.

Perhaps in time he may be persuaded to explain his thought processes publicly. Perhaps at some point questions may arise why Amorim is departing with full compensation, with no compensation reduction clause activated. But Jason Wilcox speaks rarely publicly, for excellent reasons. The true intellectuals of this sport – individuals such as him – function on a plane exceeding our mundane comprehension. If he ever did speak, most likely we would perceive is a series of ultrasonic blips and complex calculations. Wanting is not quite the same as being ready to comprehend it.

An Ultimate Power In Command

Naturally, by focusing our attention on Jason Wilcox we overlook the true genius behind the modern United throne. Jason Wilcox is, after all, merely executing the directives of his line manager the billionaire owner, who in private has emphasized his preference 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 analytics. Per reports, during a leadership summit soon after his minority ownership, he announced that the team's approach to football “shall be determined by this group”.

Ultimately, Sir Jim is an expert in this technical footballing stuff, drawing from his previous experience in petrochemicals and yachting. Above all he is immensely wealthy, and as we all know, the rich are superior: more perceptive, sagacious, more tactically astute, fundamentally better. Who else could one trust to manage an enlightened programme of austerity, the building of a modern arena that appears similar to an abstract design, the signing of a new striker?

A Modern Soccer Order: Executives Over Coaches

This represents a shift we are increasingly seeing in top-tier of the game. Historically, teams mistakenly delegated major sporting choices to low-level employees such as coaches, talent spotters – even footballers. Maybe previously possible for a young, innovative manager with ideas and drive to go into an organization and see their vision supported to fruition. But how many businesses have these guys established? What number of mass redundancies have they managed? Better by far to invest the real power where it belongs: the leadership tier, the open-necked shirt brigade, the individuals with the jaw-dropping professional resumes. Better by far to determine the tactics by the directors and appoint someone who will adapt their methods accordingly. If coaches were once chefs, they are now more like delivery personnel: not creating the food, yet ultimately answerable should it be delivered cold or leaks out of the box.

In the meantime, a coach's role is increasingly less about defining the vision and more about selling it: the receptionist of the operation, the visible figurehead of an organisation they have minimal power to influence. Enzo Maresca takes a squad of very young players into the Champions League and secures domestic cups, and essentially is dismissed for talking. A manager at Celtic sees his standing damaged whereas the people who hired him live to blunder another day.

The Modern Corporate Game: Accountability Only for the Coaches

And perhaps in a small way this is simply neoliberalism at work: the elevation of a privileged elite who can never be wrong, whose choices are always sacrosanct, whose errors can always be resolved by sacking without explanation. Hire the system coach only to fire them for using too much 3-4-3. Hire the process guy and then bin them for requiring excessive time. And most importantly show gratitude; for the incremental increases in ticket costs, for the latest summer signings, for the reality that the grownups – however well qualified – are in charge.