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Iturns out he could survive a loss to lower-league opposition. Survive an important continental showpiece versus one of the worst Tottenham teams for many years. He could survive home defeats to domestic rivals, finishing 15th, the tactical inflexibility, squandering the team's most promising homegrown talent, the 32% win rate, labeling his team the worst in Manchester United history. Yet, there existed a single opponent with whom the Portuguese coach was not permitted to engage. If you challenge the sporting director, you had better succeed.

Regrettably, similar to numerous Premiership defender during Blackburn Rovers' championship campaign, the coach took on the executive and seems to have missed. Even the most casual observer will notice the paradoxical situation: a coach who often railed his squad for losing individual battles crumbling when confronted by the intense pressure and animal charisma of a England's top division's most intimidating sporting directors.

In truth, this whole painful saga appears to portray the director in a different perspective. Perhaps it might have been tempting, based on his brief stint in a similar role at Southampton, to regard Jason Wilcox as little more than a drudge within the club's structure: an individual whose appointment was due as much to his close relationship with his former boss a fellow executive as any verifiable talent. How mistaken we all were. In brilliantly outsmarting the club's celebrated head coach, just as he bested the hapless Dan Ashworth earlier, he has proved himself to be among football's true generals: a strategic mind of which United’s mid-table rivals are now rightly wary.

A Tactical Clash Regarding Formation & Ideology

To illustrate, this was Jason Wilcox who having been part of the leadership that appointed the 3-4-3 fundamentalist Amorim in the first place, played a key role in trying to persuade Amorim to ditch his beloved 3-4-3. Naturally, these entreaties met a certain resistance. But perhaps such directives carry more weight when issued from the mouth with the unimpeachable football pedigree he possesses, a veteran of three England caps and a contributor to a championship team from 31 years ago.

Perhaps in time he may be persuaded to outline his thought processes to the rest of us. Maybe one day questions may arise regarding why the coach is departing with a full payout, with no compensation reduction clause in place. The director seldom speaks publicly, and with very good reason. The true intellectuals in football – individuals such as Jason Wilcox – simply operate on a plane beyond our own prosaic understanding. If he ever did speak, most likely we would perceive would be high-frequency signals and four-dimensional whirring. Desiring an explanation is not the same as being prepared to comprehend it.

The Ultimate Authority Behind the Throne

But of course, by focusing our attention on Jason Wilcox we overlook the true genius behind the club's current leadership. The director is, after all, simply carrying out the directives of his ultimate superior Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who privately has emphasized his preference for a four-man defense. It is reported, Ratcliffe has also proposed playing Bryan Mbeumo in a wing-back role. Ratcliffe is keen for United to adopt data science and metrics. Per reports, in an executive meeting soon after his investment, he declared that the team's approach to football “shall be decided by this group”.

Ultimately, Ratcliffe is an expert in this technical football matters, drawing from his previous experience in petrochemicals and yachting. Above all he remains incredibly rich, and as we all know, the wealthy are superior: more perceptive, more wise, strategically brilliant, simply superior. Whom else could one trust to oversee an enlightened programme of austerity, the construction of a modern arena that looks a lot like an abstract design, the signing of Benjamin Sesko?

The Modern Football Order: Executives Over Coaches

This represents a shift that is becoming prevalent in top-tier of the game. Historically, clubs foolishly entrusted major sporting choices to subordinate staff such as coaches, talent spotters – even footballers. Perhaps it was once feasible for an up-and-coming, visionary coach with a philosophy and energy to join an organization and see their vision through to completion. Yet how many businesses have these guys set up? What number of mass redundancies have they managed? Far preferable to place genuine authority where it belongs: the leadership tier, the open-necked shirt brigade, the guys with the jaw-dropping professional resumes. Better by far to decide the tactics by the directors and hire someone who can tailor their offering accordingly. If coaches were formerly chefs, they are now more akin to delivery personnel: not responsible for the food, yet ultimately answerable if it arrives poorly or fails of the box.

Nowadays, a coach's role is increasingly not about defining the vision and more about marketing it: the front-facing representative of the operation, the visible figurehead of an organisation they can do little to influence. A coach at Chelsea takes a squad of very young players into the Champions League and secures domestic cups, and essentially gets sacked for talking. Wilfried Nancy finds his standing damaged whereas those individuals who hired him continue to make errors indefinitely.

The Neoliberal Football: Accountability for the Few

And perhaps on some microcosmic level this is simply corporate governance in action: the rise of a privileged elite who are infallible, whose choices remain untouchable, whose errors can always be sacked away without justification. Appoint the 3-4-3 coach only to fire them for using excessively that system. Bring in the project manager and later discard them for taking excessive time. And most importantly show gratitude; for your modest increases in ticket costs, for the latest player acquisitions, for the reality that the grownups – regardless of their expertise – are in charge.