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Turns out he could survive losing against Grimsby. Survive losing a crucial continental showpiece versus one of the worst Spurs sides for many years. He withstood home defeats against West Ham and Wolves, finishing 15th, an unwavering system, squandering some of the club’s best academy products, the 32% win rate, labeling his team the poorest in Manchester United history. Yet, there existed a single opponent against whom the Portuguese coach would not be allowed to engage. If you challenge the sporting director, and you best not miss.

Unfortunately, similar to numerous Premiership right-back during Blackburn Rovers' championship 1994-95 season, the coach took on Jason Wilcox and appears to have missed. Even the most distracted of readers can see the paradoxical situation: a coach who often railed at his players for failing in individual battles crumbling when confronted by the white heat and formidable presence of a the Premier League’s most intimidating football executives.

In truth, this entire painful saga appears to portray the director in a whole new light. It may have been tempting, based on his nine months of experience at Southampton, to view him as little more than a drudge in the United exoskeleton: an individual who owed his position as much to his close relationship with his former boss a fellow executive rather than any verifiable talent. How mistaken we all were. By masterfully outmanoeuvring the club's celebrated head coach, just as he bested the unfortunate a previous executive before him, he has demonstrated to be among football's strategic masterminds: a tactical intellect of which United’s competitors will now be rightly wary.

The Tactical Conflict Over Formation and Philosophy

To illustrate, this was the director who having been part of the leadership that hired the rigid 3-4-3 advocate Amorim in the first place, was instrumental in trying to persuade Amorim to ditch his favored 3-4-3. Unsurprisingly, these entreaties met a certain resistance. However, these judgements carry more weight when delivered from the mouth with the impeccable soccer background he possesses, a veteran of international appearances and a role in a title-winning side from 31 years ago.

Perhaps in time Jason Wilcox might agree to explain his thought processes publicly. Perhaps at some point questions may arise regarding why the coach is departing with full compensation, with no compensation reduction clause activated. The director seldom speaks publicly, for excellent reasons. The real thinkers in football – men like him – function at a level exceeding our mundane comprehension. If he ever did speak, probably we would perceive is a series of ultrasonic blips and complex calculations. Wanting is not equivalent to being prepared to receive.

An Supreme Power Behind the Throne

Naturally, by focusing our attention on the sporting director we overlook the true genius behind the club's current leadership. The director is, after all, simply carrying out the directives of his ultimate line manager the billionaire owner, who privately has emphasized his preference for a back four. It is reported, Ratcliffe has also suggested playing Bryan Mbeumo in a wing-back role. The owner is eager for United to embrace analytics and analytics. Per reports, in an executive meeting early in his investment, he declared that United’s style of play “will be determined by this group”.

After all, Ratcliffe is a specialist in these intricate footballing stuff, drawing from his previous experience in petrochemicals and sailing. Most importantly he is incredibly rich, and as we all know, the rich are the best of us: more perceptive, more wise, strategically brilliant, simply superior. Who else would you trust to manage a strategic plan of austerity, the construction of a modern arena that appears similar to an abstract design, the acquisition of a new striker?

A Modern Football Order: Executives Above Coaches

This represents a shift that is becoming prevalent in top-tier football. For decades, clubs foolishly entrusted big footballing decisions to subordinate staff such as coaches, talent spotters – even footballers. Maybe previously possible for a young, visionary coach with ideas and energy to go into an organization and implement their plan through to completion. Yet how many companies have such individuals set up? What number of large-scale layoffs have they managed? Better by far to place genuine authority where it rightly belongs: the leadership tier, the casually dressed executives, the individuals with impressive LinkedIn profiles. Better by far to determine the tactics by the directors and hire someone who will adapt their offering to suit. If coaches were once chefs, they have become more like Deliveroo drivers: not responsible for the food, but still ultimately answerable if it arrives poorly or fails of the box.

In the meantime, a coach's role has become 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 change. Enzo Maresca takes a squad of very young players into Europe and wins domestic cups, and effectively is dismissed for talking. Wilfried Nancy finds his standing damaged whereas those individuals who hired him continue to make errors another day.

A Neoliberal Game: Responsibility Only for the Few

And possibly on some microcosmic level this is simply neoliberalism in action: the rise of a privileged overclass who are infallible, whose decisions remain sacrosanct, whose errors can always be sacked away without explanation. Appoint the 3-4-3 coach only to dismiss him for playing excessively 3-4-3. Hire the process guy and then discard them for taking too long. And most importantly be grateful; for your modest increases in ticket costs, for your new player acquisitions, for the reality that the adults – however well qualified – are in charge.