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Iturns out he could survive losing against Grimsby. Survive a decisive European final against one of the worst Spurs sides for many years. He withstood home defeats to domestic rivals, a lowly league position, the tactical inflexibility, laying waste to the team's best homegrown talent, the 32% win rate, calling the squad the worst in Manchester United history. Yet, there existed a single opponent with whom the Portuguese coach was not permitted to tango. You come at the sporting director, and you best not miss.

Unfortunately, similar to numerous Premiership right-back in Blackburn’s championship campaign, the coach took on the executive and appears to have failed. The most casual observer will notice the paradoxical situation: a coach who frequently berated his squad for losing one-on-one duels crumbling when confronted by the intense pressure and formidable presence of a the Premier League’s most intimidating sporting directors.

And frankly, this entire bruising episode appears to portray Jason Wilcox in a different perspective. Perhaps it might have been tempting, given his nine months of experience with the Saints, to regard Jason Wilcox as merely a drudge within the club's structure: an individual who owed his position as much to his close relationship with his former boss Omar Berrada as any demonstrable skill. How wrong everyone was. By masterfully outmanoeuvring United’s feted manager, as he outmanoeuvred the hapless Dan Ashworth before him, Jason Wilcox has proved himself as one of football's true generals: a strategic mind that the club's competitors will now be rightly wary.

A Strategic Conflict Regarding Formation & Philosophy

To illustrate, it was the director who being involved in the leadership that appointed the 3-4-3 fundamentalist Amorim originally, played a key role in attempting to convince Amorim to ditch his favored 3-4-3. Unsurprisingly, these entreaties faced pushback. But perhaps such directives hold greater authority when delivered by a man of a man the unimpeachable soccer background of Jason Wilcox, holder of three England caps and a contributor to a championship team from 31 years ago.

Perhaps in time Jason Wilcox may be persuaded to explain his reasoning publicly. Perhaps at some point he might be asked regarding why the coach is departing with a full payout, with no penalty clause activated. The director speaks rarely in public, for excellent reasons. The real thinkers in football – individuals such as him – simply operate on a plane exceeding our prosaic understanding. Were he to speak, most likely we would perceive would be ultrasonic blips and complex calculations. Desiring an explanation is not equivalent to being prepared to comprehend it.

An Supreme Power Behind Command

But of course, by focusing our attention on the sporting director we overlook the real power behind the modern United throne. Jason Wilcox is, after all, merely executing the directives of his line manager Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who privately has emphasized his desire for a four-man defense. According to reports, the owner has also proposed deploying the forward as a right wing-back. Ratcliffe is keen for United to embrace analytics and analytics. Per reports, during a leadership summit early in his investment, he declared that the team's approach of play “shall be decided by this group”.

Ultimately, Sir Jim is a specialist in these intricate footballing stuff, drawing from his previous experience in petrochemicals and sailing. Above all he remains incredibly rich, and it is known, the rich are superior: more insightful, sagacious, strategically brilliant, simply better. Who else could one trust to manage a strategic plan of austerity, the building of a modern arena that appears a lot like an abstract design, the signing of Benjamin Sesko?

A Modern Football Order: Executives Over Coaches

This is a trend we are increasingly seeing in top-tier of the game. For decades, clubs foolishly entrusted big footballing decisions to low-level employees such as coaches, talent spotters – even footballers. Maybe previously feasible for an up-and-coming, visionary coach with a philosophy and energy to join a club and implement their plan through to completion. But how many companies have these guys set up? What number of large-scale layoffs have they managed? Far preferable to invest genuine authority where it belongs: the leadership tier, the casually dressed executives, the individuals with impressive LinkedIn profiles. It is wiser to decide the tactics by the directors and appoint someone who can tailor their methods accordingly. If coaches were formerly chefs, they have become more like Deliveroo drivers: not really creating the product, but still finally accountable should it be delivered poorly or fails of the box.

Nowadays, a coach's role is increasingly not about crafting the philosophy and more about marketing it: the receptionist of the operation, the visible figurehead for a club they have minimal power to influence. Enzo Maresca takes a squad of very young players into Europe and wins domestic cups, and essentially gets sacked for talking. Wilfried Nancy finds his reputation ruined while those individuals who appointed him live to blunder indefinitely.

The Neoliberal Football: Responsibility Only for the Few

And possibly in a small way this is simply neoliberalism at work: the rise of a gilded elite who are infallible, whose choices are always sacrosanct, whose mistakes can always be sacked away without justification. Hire the system coach only to fire him for playing excessively 3-4-3. Bring in the process guy and later discard them for taking too long. And above all be grateful; for the incremental season ticket price rises, for your new summer signings, for the reality that the adults – regardless of their expertise – remain in control.