The Coach's Critical Error? Taking On The Executives and the Infallible Executive Tier

Turns out the manager was able to withstand defeat by lower-league opposition. He weathered an important European final against one of the worst Spurs sides for many years. He could survive losing at home against domestic rivals, a lowly league position, the tactical inflexibility, laying waste to some of the club’s best academy products, the 32% win rate, calling his team the poorest the club has ever seen. Yet, there existed a single opponent with whom Ruben Amorim was not permitted to engage. You come at Jason Wilcox, and you best not miss.

And frankly, this entire bruising episode appears to portray the director in a different perspective. Perhaps it might have been tempting, given his brief stint of experience at Southampton, to view Jason Wilcox as little more than a drudge in the United exoskeleton: a man who owed his position as much to his close relationship with ex-colleague Omar Berrada as 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 demonstrated to be among football's strategic masterminds: a strategic mind that United’s mid-table rivals are now rightly wary.

A Tactical Conflict Over Formation and Ideology

To illustrate, this was Jason Wilcox , after having been part of the leadership that appointed the 3-4-3 fundamentalist the coach originally, played a key role in trying to persuade him to ditch his favored formation. Unsurprisingly, these entreaties faced pushback. However, such directives hold greater authority when issued from the mouth with the unimpeachable football pedigree of Jason Wilcox, a veteran of international appearances and a role in a title-winning side decades past.

Perhaps in time Jason Wilcox might agree to outline his thought processes to the rest of us. Maybe one day questions may arise why Amorim is departing with full compensation, without any penalty clause in place. The director seldom speaks in public, and with very good reason. The real thinkers of this sport – individuals such as him – simply operate at a level exceeding our mundane comprehension. Were he to speak, most likely we would perceive is a series of high-frequency signals and four-dimensional whirring. Wanting is not the same as being ready to comprehend it.

The Ultimate Authority Behind Command

But of course, by focusing our attention on Jason Wilcox we overlook the true genius behind the club's current leadership. Jason Wilcox is, in reality, simply carrying out the commands of his superior the billionaire owner, who in private has emphasized his desire for a back four. According to reports, the owner has also suggested deploying the forward in a wing-back role. Ratcliffe is keen for United to embrace data science and analytics. Per reports, in an executive meeting early in his investment, he announced that the team's approach to football “shall be decided by this group”.

After all, Sir Jim is a specialist in these intricate footballing stuff, leveraging his previous experience in petrochemicals and sailing. Most importantly he remains incredibly rich, and it is known, the wealthy are superior: more perceptive, sagacious, strategically brilliant, simply superior. Who else could one trust to manage a strategic plan of austerity, the building of a modern arena that appears a lot like someone’s leftover knitting, the signing of a new striker?

The Modern Soccer Hierarchy: Executives Above Managers

This represents a shift we are increasingly seeing in top-tier of the game. Historically, teams mistakenly delegated big footballing decisions to subordinate staff like managers, talent spotters – even footballers. Maybe previously possible for an up-and-coming, innovative manager with a philosophy and drive to go into an organization and see their vision through to completion. But how many businesses have such individuals set up? How many large-scale layoffs have they overseen? Far preferable to invest genuine authority where it belongs: the executive class, the open-necked shirt brigade, the individuals with the jaw-dropping LinkedIn profiles. Better by far to decide the tactics in the boardroom and appoint a coach who can tailor their offering to suit. If coaches were once chefs, they have become more akin to delivery personnel: not really creating the food, but still finally accountable should it be delivered poorly or fails to meet standards.

In the meantime, their job has become not about crafting the philosophy and more about marketing it: the receptionist on the front desk, the visible figurehead of an organisation they can do little to change. Enzo Maresca leads a team of literal children into the Champions League and secures domestic cups, and essentially is dismissed for speaking out. Wilfried Nancy sees his standing damaged whereas those individuals who hired him continue to make errors another day.

A Neoliberal Football: Responsibility Only for the Few

And possibly in a small way this is simply corporate governance at work: the elevation 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 and then dismiss him for using excessively 3-4-3. Hire the project manager and later bin them for taking too long. And most importantly be grateful; for your modest season ticket price rises, for your new player acquisitions, for the reality that the adults – regardless of their expertise – remain in control.