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Transpired Ruben Amorim was able to withstand a loss to lower-league opposition. He weathered a decisive continental showpiece against one of the worst Tottenham teams in living memory. He could survive home defeats against West Ham and Wolves, finishing 15th, the tactical inflexibility, squandering some of the club’s most promising homegrown talent, a poor winning percentage, calling the squad the worst in Manchester United history. But there was one adversary with whom Ruben Amorim would not be allowed to tango. You come at Jason Wilcox, you had better succeed.

Unfortunately, like many a Premiership right-back during Blackburn Rovers' title-winning campaign, the coach took on the executive and seems to have failed. Even the most distracted of readers will notice the irony here: a manager who frequently berated his squad for losing individual battles crumbling when confronted by the white heat and animal charisma of one of the Premier League’s most feared football executives.

In truth, this whole painful saga seems to paint Jason Wilcox in a different perspective. It may have been easy, based on his brief stint of experience with the Saints, to regard him as little more than a functionary in the United exoskeleton: an individual who owed his position largely to his close relationship with his former boss Omar Berrada as any verifiable talent. How wrong we all were. In brilliantly outsmarting the club's celebrated head coach, just as he bested the unfortunate a previous executive earlier, he has proved himself to be among the sport’s true generals: a strategic mind of which the club's mid-table rivals will now be justifiably concerned.

A Strategic Conflict Regarding Formation & Ideology

For example, this was the director , after being involved in the leadership that appointed the 3-4-3 fundamentalist the coach in the first place, was instrumental in trying to persuade Amorim to abandon his favored formation. Naturally, these pleas were resisted. However, such directives carry more weight when issued by a man with the unimpeachable football pedigree of Jason Wilcox, a veteran of international appearances and a contributor to a title-winning side from 31 years ago.

Maybe eventually he may be persuaded to outline his thought processes publicly. Maybe one day questions may arise regarding why the coach is walking away with a full payout, with no compensation reduction clause activated. But Jason Wilcox speaks rarely publicly, for excellent reasons. The real thinkers in football – individuals such as him – simply operate on a plane exceeding our mundane comprehension. If he ever did speak, most likely we would perceive is a series of ultrasonic blips and four-dimensional whirring. Desiring an explanation is not equivalent to being prepared to comprehend it.

An Supreme Power In Command

But of course, in training our focus on the sporting director we overlook the real power behind the modern United throne. The director is, after all, simply carrying out the directives of his ultimate superior Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who privately has made very clear his desire for a back four. According to reports, Ratcliffe has also suggested playing Bryan Mbeumo as a right wing-back. The owner is eager for United to embrace analytics and analytics. Per reports, during a leadership summit early in his investment, he announced that United’s style to football “will be determined by this group”.

After all, Ratcliffe is an expert in this technical footballing stuff, leveraging his previous experience in petrochemicals and yachting. Above all he remains incredibly rich, and it is known, the rich are the best of us: more perceptive, sagacious, strategically brilliant, simply superior. Who else could one trust to manage a strategic plan of cost-cutting, the building of a modern arena that looks a lot like an abstract design, the acquisition of Benjamin Sesko?

The New Soccer Hierarchy: Executives Above Coaches

This represents a shift we are increasingly seeing in top-tier football. For decades, teams mistakenly delegated big footballing decisions to subordinate staff like managers, scouts – players themselves. Perhaps it was once feasible for an up-and-coming, visionary coach with ideas and drive to join an organization and see their vision through to completion. But how many businesses have these guys set up? What number of large-scale layoffs have they overseen? Better by far to invest genuine authority where it rightly belongs: the leadership tier, the open-necked shirt brigade, the individuals with impressive professional resumes. Better by far to decide the strategy in the boardroom and appoint a coach who can tailor their methods accordingly. If coaches were once chefs, they have become more akin to delivery personnel: not really creating the food, yet finally accountable if it arrives cold or fails of the box.

Nowadays, their job is increasingly less about crafting the philosophy and more about marketing it: the front-facing representative of the operation, the visible figurehead for a club they can do little to change. A coach at Chelsea takes a squad of literal children into Europe and wins domestic cups, and effectively is dismissed for speaking out. A manager at Celtic finds his standing damaged while those individuals who hired him live to blunder another day.

The Neoliberal Football: Accountability Only for the Few

And perhaps on some microcosmic level this represents neoliberalism in action: the elevation of a privileged elite who are infallible, whose choices remain untouchable, whose errors can always be resolved by sacking without explanation. Hire the 3-4-3 coach and then dismiss them for using excessively 3-4-3. Bring in the process guy and then bin him for taking too long. And most importantly show gratitude; for your modest increases in ticket costs, for the latest summer signings, for the reality that the adults – regardless of their expertise – remain in control.