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Iturns out the manager could survive losing against lower-league opposition. Survive losing a crucial European final versus one of the worst Tottenham teams in living memory. He could survive losing at home against domestic rivals, a lowly league position, his rigid approach, squandering some of the club’s best homegrown talent, the 32% win rate, calling the squad the poorest in Manchester United history. But there was a single opponent against whom Ruben Amorim would not be allowed to dance. You come at Jason Wilcox, and you best not miss.

Unfortunately, similar to numerous top-flight defender during Blackburn Rovers' championship campaign, the coach came at the executive and appears to have missed. Even the most distracted of readers can see the irony here: a manager who frequently berated his squad for losing one-on-one duels crumbling in the face of the intense pressure and formidable presence of one of England's top division's most feared football executives.

In truth, this entire bruising episode appears to portray the director in a whole new light. It may have been tempting, given his nine months of experience at Southampton, to view Jason Wilcox as little more than a drudge in the United exoskeleton: a man whose appointment was due largely to his friendship with ex-colleague Omar Berrada as any demonstrable skill. How mistaken everyone was. In brilliantly outsmarting United’s feted manager, just as he bested the hapless Dan Ashworth before him, Jason Wilcox has demonstrated as one of football's true generals: a strategic mind of which the club's mid-table rivals will now be rightly wary.

A Tactical Clash Regarding System & Philosophy

To illustrate, it was the director who having been part of the hierarchy that hired the 3-4-3 fundamentalist the coach originally, was instrumental in trying to persuade him to ditch his favored 3-4-3. Naturally, these pleas were resisted. But perhaps such directives carry more weight when delivered from the mouth with the impeccable soccer background he possesses, a veteran of three England caps and a role in a title-winning side decades past.

Perhaps in time he may be persuaded to outline his thought processes publicly. Maybe one day questions may arise regarding why the coach is departing with a full payout, without any penalty clause activated. The director seldom speaks publicly, for excellent reasons. The true intellectuals in football – men like him – function on a plane exceeding our mundane comprehension. If he ever did speak, most likely we would perceive would be high-frequency signals and four-dimensional whirring. Desiring an explanation is not quite the same as being ready to receive.

The Supreme Power In the Throne

But of course, in training our focus on the sporting director we overlook the true genius behind the modern United throne. The director is, in reality, merely executing the commands of his ultimate superior Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who privately has made very clear his desire for a four-man defense. According to reports, Ratcliffe has also proposed deploying the forward as a right wing-back. Ratcliffe is keen for the club to adopt analytics and analytics. Per reports, during a leadership summit early in his investment, he declared that the team's approach to football “shall be determined in this room”.

Ultimately, Ratcliffe is an expert in these intricate footballing stuff, leveraging his background in petrochemicals and sailing. Most importantly he remains incredibly rich, and it is known, the rich are superior: more perceptive, more wise, more tactically astute, simply better. Whom else could one trust to oversee an enlightened programme 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: Directors Above Coaches

This is a trend that is becoming prevalent in top-tier football. For decades, clubs foolishly delegated big footballing decisions to subordinate staff such as coaches, talent spotters – even footballers. Maybe previously possible for an up-and-coming, innovative manager with a philosophy and drive to go into an organization and see their vision supported to fruition. Yet how many companies have such individuals set up? What number of mass redundancies have they managed? Far preferable to place genuine authority where it belongs: the leadership tier, the casually dressed executives, the guys with impressive LinkedIn profiles. Better by far to decide the strategy in the boardroom and hire someone who will adapt their offering accordingly. If managers were once chefs, they are now more like delivery personnel: not responsible for the food, but still ultimately answerable should it be delivered cold or fails to meet standards.

In the meantime, a coach's role has become not about defining the vision and more about marketing it: the receptionist on the front desk, the public face of an organisation they can do little to influence. Enzo Maresca leads a team of literal children into the Champions League and wins domestic cups, and essentially gets sacked for speaking out. Wilfried Nancy finds his standing damaged whereas the people who appointed him live to blunder indefinitely.

A Modern Corporate Football: Accountability Only for the Coaches

And perhaps in a small way this is simply corporate governance in action: the elevation of a privileged overclass who can never be wrong, whose choices are always sacrosanct, whose mistakes can invariably be resolved by sacking without justification. Appoint the 3-4-3 coach and then fire him for using excessively that system. Hire the project manager and then discard them for requiring excessive time. And most importantly show gratitude; for the incremental increases in ticket costs, for the latest player acquisitions, for the fact that the grownups – however well qualified – remain in control.