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Itranspired he was able to withstand defeat by lower-league opposition. Survive an important continental showpiece against one of the worst Spurs sides for many years. He could survive losing at home to domestic rivals, finishing 15th, the tactical inflexibility, undermining some of the club’s most promising academy products, the 32% win rate, labeling the squad the poorest in Manchester United history. But there was one adversary with whom the Portuguese coach would not be allowed to tango. If you challenge Jason Wilcox, you had better succeed.

Unfortunately, similar to numerous top-flight right-back during Blackburn Rovers' title-winning campaign, Amorim came at the executive and appears to have failed. Even the most casual observer will notice the irony here: a manager who often railed his squad for failing in individual battles crumbling in the face of the intense pressure and formidable presence of a the Premier League’s most intimidating sporting directors.

And frankly, this entire bruising episode seems to paint the director in a whole new light. It may have been tempting, based on his nine months of experience at Southampton, to view him as merely a functionary in the United exoskeleton: a man who owed his position as much to his close relationship with his former boss Omar Berrada rather than any demonstrable skill. How mistaken everyone was. In brilliantly outmanoeuvring the club's celebrated head coach, as he outmanoeuvred the unfortunate Dan Ashworth earlier, Jason Wilcox has demonstrated to be among the sport’s true generals: a strategic mind of which United’s mid-table rivals will now be justifiably concerned.

The Strategic Conflict Over Formation & Philosophy

For example, this was Jason Wilcox who having been part of the leadership that hired the 3-4-3 fundamentalist Amorim in the first place, played a key role in trying to persuade him to abandon his favored formation. Unsurprisingly, these pleas met a certain resistance. But perhaps these judgements carry more weight when issued from the mouth with the unimpeachable soccer background of Jason Wilcox, a veteran of international appearances and a role in a championship team from 31 years ago.

Perhaps in time he may be persuaded to outline his thought processes publicly. Perhaps at some point he might be asked regarding why the coach is departing with a full payout, without any compensation reduction clause in place. But Jason Wilcox speaks rarely publicly, and with very good reason. The real thinkers in football – men like him – function on a plane beyond our own mundane comprehension. If he ever did speak, most likely we would perceive would be ultrasonic blips and four-dimensional whirring. Desiring an explanation is not equivalent to being ready to receive.

An Ultimate Authority Behind Command

Naturally, by focusing our attention on the sporting director we overlook the true genius behind the club's current leadership. The director is, after all, simply carrying out the directives of his ultimate line manager Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who privately has made very clear his preference for a four-man defense. According to reports, Ratcliffe has also proposed playing Bryan Mbeumo as a right wing-back. Ratcliffe is keen for the club to adopt data science and metrics. Per reports, in an executive meeting soon after his minority ownership, he declared that the team's approach to football “will be decided by this group”.

Ultimately, Sir Jim is an expert in these intricate football matters, drawing from his previous experience in petrochemicals and yachting. Above all he remains incredibly rich, and as we all know, the rich are the best of us: more insightful, sagacious, strategically brilliant, simply better. Whom else would you trust to oversee a strategic plan of austerity, the construction of a new stadium that looks a lot like an abstract design, the signing of Benjamin Sesko?

The Modern Soccer Order: Executives Over Coaches

This is a trend that is becoming prevalent at the elite levels football. For decades, clubs foolishly entrusted big footballing decisions to low-level employees such as coaches, scouts – players themselves. Perhaps it was once possible for an up-and-coming, visionary coach with ideas and energy to join an organization and implement their plan supported to fruition. Yet how many businesses have such individuals set up? How many mass redundancies have they managed? Better by far to place the real power where it belongs: the leadership tier, the casually dressed executives, the guys with impressive LinkedIn profiles. It is wiser to decide the strategy in the boardroom and appoint a coach who will adapt their offering accordingly. If coaches were once chefs, they have become more akin to delivery personnel: not really creating the food, but still finally accountable if it arrives poorly or leaks out to meet standards.

Nowadays, a coach's role is increasingly not about crafting the philosophy and more about marketing it: the receptionist on the front desk, the public face of an organisation they have minimal power to influence. A coach at Chelsea leads a team of literal children into Europe and wins two medium-sized trophies, and effectively gets sacked for talking. Wilfried Nancy sees his reputation ruined whereas those individuals who appointed him continue to make errors another day.

The Modern Corporate Football: Accountability Only for the Coaches

And possibly in a small way this represents corporate governance at work: the elevation of a gilded overclass who can never be wrong, whose decisions are always sacrosanct, whose errors can always be sacked away without justification. Hire the 3-4-3 coach only to dismiss him for playing too much that system. Bring in the process guy and later bin him for requiring excessive time. And most importantly show gratitude; for the incremental increases in ticket costs, for the latest player acquisitions, for the reality that the adults – however well qualified – are in charge.