As we have seen in the present day reality, the coach takes the major part of the blame and it is the reason why coaches are often sacked after an unsuccessful season and players are not always sold. The coach makes decisions as;
1. Who to play
2. How long to play
3. Formation to play
So, why will the blame come on the players. Although, players obviously have their bad days.
So if it's mainly the coach that is responsible for the players as you stated, so why is it that when a team wins the match, it's mainly the players that gets all the credits for the win, only few times that coaches are acknowledged, why? For me, it's the players that's should take majority of the blame when the lose same way they take majority of the credit when they win.
When a woman is delivered of a baby, all the praises and gifts goes to the woman and the man that planted the pregnancy. The coach of course does not play football so it is understandable when laymen don't praise the coaches. But to every good football analyst, they don't analyze, praise or criticize without the coach.
To me, anytime I watch football, I look at the formation, the coaches' ideology because it is the ideology of the coach that plays out on the field of play. Even if you are a superstar playing under a coach with the wrong ideology and strategy, you cannot shine.