Do players make the tactics or do tactics make the players?
Why the idea has to precede the personnel, and what Ten Hag's refusal to commit to one approach costs United in recruitment, coaching time and identity.
In 1997, as the infamous story goes, Steve Jobs went back to Apple.
The place was in shambles: financially ruined, with a terrible corporate culture, bad products, misguided strategy, no clear vision and pack of elite talent in key areas.
At one point in 1997, Apple was 90 days from going bankrupt.
The crux of the problem was that the company was clinging to sweet yet toxic memories of its glory days - while also forgetting what had brought them glory.
If it sounds familiar, that’s because it is familiar; at one point or another, it’s a destiny of many a great organizations and individuals.
Jobs had a clear insight on what was fundamentally wrong, and out of that, his plan was hatched. You can call it his philosophy, vision, strategy or, in football terms, tactics. But the comeback started with a clear idea on what to do.