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Itbecame clear Ruben Amorim was able to withstand defeat by Grimsby. He weathered an important continental showpiece versus one of the worst Spurs sides in living memory. He could survive losing at home against domestic rivals, finishing 15th, an unwavering system, laying waste to some of the club’s best homegrown talent, a poor winning percentage, calling the squad the poorest in Manchester United history. Yet, there existed one adversary against whom the Portuguese coach was not permitted to engage. You come at the sporting director, you had better succeed.

Regrettably, like many a top-flight right-back during Blackburn Rovers' title-winning campaign, Amorim came at Jason Wilcox and seems to have missed. The most distracted of readers will notice the paradoxical situation: a coach who often railed his squad for failing in one-on-one duels crumbling when confronted by the intense pressure and animal charisma of a the Premier League’s most intimidating sporting directors.

In truth, this whole bruising episode appears to portray the director in a whole new light. Perhaps it might have been tempting, given his nine months in a similar role with the Saints, to view Jason Wilcox as little more than a functionary in the United exoskeleton: an individual who owed his position as much to his close relationship with ex-colleague Omar Berrada as any verifiable talent. How wrong everyone was. In brilliantly outmanoeuvring United’s feted head coach, just as he bested the hapless Dan Ashworth before him, Jason Wilcox has demonstrated as one of football's true generals: a strategic mind that United’s competitors are now rightly wary.

The Strategic Clash Over Formation and Philosophy

For example, this was Jason Wilcox who having been part of the hierarchy that appointed the rigid 3-4-3 advocate Amorim originally, played a key role in trying to persuade him to abandon his favored 3-4-3. Naturally, these entreaties faced pushback. But perhaps these judgements hold greater authority when issued from the mouth with the unimpeachable soccer background of Jason Wilcox, holder of international appearances and a contributor to a title-winning side decades past.

Maybe eventually Jason Wilcox might agree to outline his thought processes publicly. Maybe one day questions may arise why Amorim is departing with a full payout, without any penalty clause activated. The director speaks rarely in public, and with very good reason. The real thinkers in football – men like Jason Wilcox – function at a level beyond our own mundane comprehension. Were he to speak, probably all we would hear is a series of high-frequency signals and four-dimensional whirring. Wanting is not the same as being ready to receive.

An Ultimate Power Behind the Throne

But of course, in training our focus on the sporting director we overlook the real power behind the club's current leadership. Jason Wilcox is, in reality, merely executing the commands of his superior Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who in private has emphasized his desire for a four-man defense. It is reported, Ratcliffe has also suggested deploying the forward as a right wing-back. Ratcliffe is keen for United to embrace analytics and analytics. According to ESPN, in an executive meeting soon after his investment, he declared that United’s style of play “shall be determined in this room”.

After all, Ratcliffe is a specialist in this technical footballing stuff, leveraging his previous experience in industry and yachting. Most importantly he is incredibly rich, and as we all know, the wealthy are superior: more perceptive, more wise, strategically brilliant, fundamentally better. Who else would you trust to oversee a strategic plan of cost-cutting, the construction of a modern arena that appears similar to an abstract design, the acquisition of Benjamin Sesko?

The Modern Football Hierarchy: Executives Over Coaches

This is a trend that is becoming prevalent at the elite levels football. For decades, teams mistakenly entrusted major sporting choices to subordinate staff such as coaches, scouts – even footballers. Maybe previously feasible for a young, innovative manager with ideas and energy to join an organization and see their vision through to completion. But how many businesses have such individuals established? What number of large-scale layoffs have they managed? Far preferable to invest the real power where it belongs: the executive class, the casually dressed executives, the guys with impressive LinkedIn profiles. It is wiser to decide the tactics by the directors and hire a coach who will adapt their offering accordingly. If managers were once chefs, they are now more like delivery personnel: not creating the food, but still ultimately answerable if it arrives poorly or fails of the box.

In the meantime, their job is increasingly not about defining the vision and more about marketing it: the receptionist of the operation, the public face for a club they can do little to influence. A coach at Chelsea takes a squad of very young players into Europe and secures domestic cups, and effectively gets sacked for speaking out. Wilfried Nancy sees his reputation ruined while those individuals who hired him continue to make errors another day.

The Neoliberal Football: Accountability for the Few

And possibly on some microcosmic level this represents neoliberalism at work: the elevation of a privileged elite who can never be wrong, whose decisions remain sacrosanct, whose errors can always be resolved by sacking without explanation. Appoint the 3-4-3 coach and then dismiss them for playing too much that system. Hire the project manager and then discard them for taking excessive time. And most importantly show gratitude; for your modest increases in ticket costs, for the latest summer signings, for the reality that the adults – however well qualified – are in charge.