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Turns out Ruben Amorim could survive defeat by Grimsby. Survive an important European final against one of the worst Spurs sides in living memory. He withstood home defeats against West Ham and Wolves, a lowly league position, his rigid approach, laying waste to some of the club’s most promising homegrown talent, a poor winning percentage, labeling the squad the poorest in Manchester United history. Yet, there existed one adversary with whom Ruben Amorim was not permitted to dance. If you challenge the sporting director, and you best not miss.

Regrettably, similar to numerous top-flight right-back during Blackburn Rovers' title-winning campaign, the coach took on the executive and appears to have failed. The most casual observer can see the irony here: a coach who often railed his squad for failing in one-on-one duels succumbing in the face of the white heat and animal charisma of one of the Premier League’s most intimidating football executives.

In truth, this entire bruising episode seems to paint the director in a whole new light. Perhaps it might have been easy, given his brief stint in a similar role at Southampton, to regard him as little more than a functionary within the club's structure: a man who owed his position largely to his close relationship with his former boss Omar Berrada as any verifiable talent. How mistaken we all were. In brilliantly outmanoeuvring United’s feted manager, as he outmanoeuvred the hapless Dan Ashworth earlier, he has proved himself to be among football's true generals: a tactical intellect of which United’s competitors are now justifiably concerned.

A Strategic Conflict Regarding System and Philosophy

To illustrate, this was the director who having been part of the hierarchy that hired the 3-4-3 fundamentalist Amorim originally, was instrumental in attempting to convince him to ditch his favored 3-4-3. Naturally, these pleas faced pushback. However, these judgements carry more weight when issued by a man of a man the unimpeachable football pedigree of Jason Wilcox, a veteran of international appearances and a role in a title-winning side from 31 years ago.

Perhaps in time he may be persuaded to explain his thought processes publicly. Perhaps at some point he might be asked why Amorim is walking away with full compensation, with no compensation reduction clause activated. The director speaks rarely in public, for excellent reasons. The real thinkers of this sport – men like Jason Wilcox – function on a plane beyond our own prosaic understanding. If he ever did speak, probably all we would hear is a series of high-frequency signals and four-dimensional whirring. Wanting is not quite the same as being prepared to receive.

An Ultimate Power In Command

But of course, 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 directives of his superior Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who privately has emphasized his preference for a back four. It is reported, the owner has also proposed deploying the forward as a right wing-back. Ratcliffe is keen for United to adopt data science and metrics. According to ESPN, during a leadership summit soon after his investment, he declared that the team's approach of play “shall be decided in this room”.

Ultimately, Ratcliffe is a specialist in these intricate football matters, drawing from his previous experience in industry and yachting. Most importantly he is incredibly rich, and as we all know, the wealthy are the best of us: more insightful, more wise, more tactically astute, simply superior. Who else would you trust to oversee a strategic plan of cost-cutting, the building of a new stadium that appears a lot like someone’s leftover knitting, the signing of Benjamin Sesko?

The New Soccer Order: Directors Over Managers

This is a trend that is becoming prevalent at the elite levels football. For decades, clubs foolishly delegated big footballing decisions to low-level employees such as coaches, talent spotters – players themselves. Maybe previously feasible for a young, visionary coach with a philosophy and drive to go into a club and implement their plan supported to fruition. Yet how many companies have these guys set up? What number of large-scale layoffs have they overseen? Far preferable to invest genuine authority where it rightly belongs: the leadership tier, the open-necked shirt brigade, the guys with impressive professional resumes. It is wiser to determine the strategy by the directors and hire a coach who will adapt their methods to suit. If coaches were once chefs, they have become more like Deliveroo drivers: not responsible for the product, yet finally accountable should it be delivered cold or leaks out of the box.

In the meantime, their job is increasingly less 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. A coach at Chelsea takes a squad of literal children into the Champions League and wins domestic cups, and essentially gets sacked for talking. A manager at Celtic finds his reputation ruined while the people who hired him continue to make errors another day.

A Neoliberal Game: Responsibility for the Few

And perhaps in a small way this is simply corporate governance in action: the elevation of a privileged elite who can never be wrong, whose choices remain sacrosanct, whose mistakes can invariably be resolved by sacking without justification. Appoint the 3-4-3 coach only to dismiss them for using too much 3-4-3. Bring in the project manager and later bin him for requiring excessive time. And above all be grateful; for the incremental season ticket price rises, for your new summer signings, for the fact that the adults – however well qualified – are in charge.