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Itbecame clear the manager could survive a loss to lower-league opposition. He weathered a decisive 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, the tactical inflexibility, undermining some of the club’s most promising homegrown talent, a poor winning percentage, labeling the squad the worst in Manchester United history. Yet, there existed a single opponent against whom the Portuguese coach would not be allowed to tango. You come at the sporting director, and you best not miss.

Regrettably, like many a Premiership defender during Blackburn Rovers' title-winning 1994-95 season, Amorim took on Jason Wilcox and seems to have failed. The most casual observer can see the paradoxical situation: a manager who frequently berated his squad for losing individual battles succumbing in the face of the white heat and formidable presence of one of England's top division's most intimidating sporting directors.

In truth, this entire bruising episode seems to paint the director in a different perspective. Perhaps it might have been easy, based on his nine months of experience at Southampton, to regard him as little more than a functionary within the club's structure: an individual who owed his position largely to his friendship with his former boss a fellow executive rather than any verifiable talent. How mistaken everyone was. In brilliantly outmanoeuvring the club's celebrated head coach, just as he bested the unfortunate a previous executive earlier, he has proved himself to be among the sport’s true generals: a strategic mind of which United’s competitors are now justifiably concerned.

A Tactical Clash Regarding System and Ideology

For example, it was Jason Wilcox who having been part of the leadership that hired the rigid 3-4-3 advocate Amorim originally, played a key role in attempting to convince Amorim to abandon his beloved 3-4-3. Naturally, these entreaties met a certain resistance. But perhaps such directives hold greater authority when delivered by a man with the impeccable football pedigree of Jason Wilcox, a veteran of international appearances and a role in a championship team from 31 years ago.

Maybe eventually he may be persuaded to explain his reasoning publicly. Perhaps at some point questions may arise why Amorim is walking away with a full payout, without any penalty clause activated. The director seldom speaks publicly, for excellent reasons. The real thinkers of this sport – individuals such as him – simply operate on a plane beyond our own prosaic understanding. Were he to speak, most likely we would perceive would be high-frequency signals and four-dimensional whirring. Wanting is not quite the same as being prepared to receive.

An Supreme Authority Behind Command

Naturally, in training our focus on Jason Wilcox we are obscuring the true genius behind the modern United throne. Jason Wilcox is, in reality, simply carrying out the directives of his ultimate superior the billionaire owner, who in private has made very clear his preference for a four-man defense. It is reported, Ratcliffe has also suggested playing Bryan Mbeumo 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 to football “shall be decided by this group”.

After all, Sir Jim is an expert in this technical football matters, drawing from his previous experience in industry and yachting. Most importantly he is immensely wealthy, and it is known, the wealthy are superior: more perceptive, more wise, more tactically astute, simply better. Whom else could one trust to manage an enlightened programme of austerity, the construction of a modern arena that appears a lot like someone’s leftover knitting, the signing of Benjamin Sesko?

A Modern Soccer Hierarchy: Executives Over Managers

This represents a shift that is becoming prevalent in top-tier of the game. For decades, teams mistakenly entrusted big footballing decisions to low-level employees like managers, scouts – even footballers. Maybe previously feasible for an up-and-coming, innovative manager with ideas and energy to join a club and implement their plan through to completion. But how many businesses have these guys set up? How many large-scale layoffs have they overseen? Better by far to place the real power where it rightly belongs: the executive class, the open-necked shirt brigade, the individuals with the jaw-dropping LinkedIn profiles. Better by far to decide the strategy by the directors and appoint a coach who can tailor their methods to suit. If coaches were once chefs, they are now more like Deliveroo drivers: not really creating the food, yet ultimately answerable if it arrives cold or fails of the box.

In the meantime, a coach's role has become not about defining the vision and more about marketing it: the front-facing representative on the front desk, the visible figurehead for a club they can do little to influence. A coach at Chelsea leads a team of very young players into the Champions League and wins two medium-sized trophies, and essentially gets sacked for talking. Wilfried Nancy finds his standing damaged whereas those individuals who appointed him live to blunder another day.

A Modern Corporate Game: Responsibility Only for the Coaches

And perhaps on some microcosmic level this represents neoliberalism at work: the rise of a gilded elite who are infallible, whose choices are always sacrosanct, whose errors can always be resolved by sacking without justification. Hire the 3-4-3 coach and then fire them for using too much 3-4-3. Hire the project manager and later discard him for taking excessive time. And most importantly be grateful; for your modest increases in ticket costs, for your new player acquisitions, for the fact that the adults – however well qualified – remain in control.