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Transpired Ruben Amorim could survive losing against Grimsby. Survive losing a crucial continental showpiece against a particularly poor Tottenham teams in living memory. He withstood home defeats to domestic rivals, a lowly league position, an unwavering system, squandering some of the club’s best homegrown talent, the 32% win rate, labeling his team the worst in Manchester United history. Yet, there existed a single opponent with whom Ruben Amorim would not be allowed to engage. If you challenge Jason Wilcox, and you best not miss.

Unfortunately, similar to numerous Premiership defender in Blackburn’s title-winning campaign, Amorim came at Jason Wilcox and appears to have missed. The most casual observer can see the irony here: a coach who frequently berated at his players for failing in one-on-one duels succumbing in the face of the white heat and formidable presence of one of the Premier League’s most feared football executives.

And frankly, this entire bruising episode appears to portray Jason Wilcox in a different perspective. It may have been tempting, given his nine months of experience with the Saints, to view Jason Wilcox as little more than a functionary in the United exoskeleton: a man whose appointment was due largely to his friendship with ex-colleague Omar Berrada rather than any verifiable talent. How mistaken we all were. By masterfully outsmarting United’s feted head coach, just as he bested the hapless Dan Ashworth earlier, Jason Wilcox has proved himself as one of football's true generals: a strategic mind of which the club's competitors are now justifiably concerned.

The Tactical Conflict Over System and Philosophy

To illustrate, it was Jason Wilcox , after having been part of the leadership that hired the 3-4-3 fundamentalist Amorim in the first place, was instrumental in attempting to convince him to abandon his favored 3-4-3. Unsurprisingly, these entreaties met a certain resistance. But perhaps such directives hold greater authority when delivered from the mouth of a man the unimpeachable soccer background of Jason Wilcox, a veteran of international appearances and a role in a title-winning side decades past.

Maybe eventually he might agree to outline his thought processes publicly. Maybe one day questions may arise why Amorim is departing with a full payout, with no compensation reduction clause activated. The director seldom speaks in public, for excellent reasons. The true intellectuals in football – men like him – function at a level beyond our own mundane comprehension. If he ever did speak, most likely we would perceive is a series of high-frequency signals and four-dimensional whirring. Desiring an explanation is not quite equivalent to being ready to receive.

The Supreme Authority In the Throne

Naturally, by focusing our attention on Jason Wilcox we overlook the true genius behind the club's current leadership. The director is, in reality, simply carrying out the commands of his line manager the billionaire owner, who in private has made very clear his desire for a four-man defense. According to reports, Ratcliffe has also suggested deploying the forward in a wing-back role. Ratcliffe is keen for the club to adopt data science and analytics. According to ESPN, in an executive meeting soon after his investment, he declared that United’s style of play “will be decided in this room”.

After all, Ratcliffe is an expert in these intricate football matters, leveraging his previous experience in petrochemicals and yachting. Above all he remains incredibly rich, and it is known, the wealthy are the best of us: more perceptive, sagacious, strategically brilliant, fundamentally superior. Whom else would you trust to oversee an enlightened programme of cost-cutting, the construction of a modern arena that looks a lot like an abstract design, the signing of a new striker?

The Modern Football Hierarchy: Executives Over Managers

This represents a shift we are increasingly seeing at the elite levels football. Historically, clubs foolishly entrusted major sporting choices to subordinate staff such as coaches, scouts – players themselves. Perhaps it was once feasible for an up-and-coming, innovative manager with a philosophy and drive to join an organization and see their vision supported to fruition. Yet how many companies have these guys set up? What number of large-scale layoffs have they overseen? Better by far to place genuine authority where it belongs: the executive class, the open-necked shirt brigade, the individuals with the jaw-dropping LinkedIn profiles. It is wiser to determine the strategy in the boardroom and hire someone who can tailor their offering accordingly. If managers were formerly chefs, they have become more like delivery personnel: not creating the food, but still ultimately answerable should it be delivered poorly or leaks out of the box.

In the meantime, a coach's role is increasingly not about crafting the philosophy and more about marketing it: the front-facing representative on the front desk, the public face for a club they can do little to change. Enzo Maresca takes a squad of literal children into Europe and secures two medium-sized trophies, and effectively is dismissed for speaking out. Wilfried Nancy sees his reputation ruined while those individuals who appointed him live to blunder indefinitely.

The Modern Corporate Football: Responsibility Only for the Coaches

And perhaps in a small way this is simply neoliberalism in action: the rise of a gilded overclass who are infallible, whose decisions are always untouchable, whose errors can invariably be sacked away without explanation. Hire the system coach only to fire them for playing too much 3-4-3. Bring in the project manager and later bin him for requiring excessive time. And above all show gratitude; for the incremental increases in ticket costs, for your new summer signings, for the fact that the adults – however well qualified – are in charge.