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Itranspired he was able to withstand a loss to Grimsby. He weathered an important continental showpiece versus a particularly poor Tottenham teams for many years. He could survive home defeats to West Ham and Wolves, finishing 15th, his rigid approach, laying waste to the team's best homegrown talent, a poor winning percentage, labeling the squad the worst in Manchester United history. Yet, there existed one adversary against whom the Portuguese coach was not permitted to tango. If you challenge Jason Wilcox, and you best not miss.

Unfortunately, similar to numerous Premiership defender during Blackburn Rovers' title-winning campaign, the coach came at Jason Wilcox and appears to have failed. The most distracted of readers can see the irony here: a coach who frequently berated his squad for losing individual battles succumbing when confronted by the white heat and animal charisma of a the Premier League’s most intimidating sporting directors.

In truth, this entire bruising episode appears to portray the director in a different perspective. Perhaps it might have been easy, given his nine months of experience at Southampton, to view Jason Wilcox as merely a functionary within the club's structure: a man who owed his position largely to his close relationship with ex-colleague a fellow executive rather than any verifiable talent. How mistaken everyone was. By masterfully outmanoeuvring United’s feted manager, just as he bested the unfortunate Dan Ashworth earlier, he has demonstrated as one of the sport’s strategic masterminds: a tactical intellect of which United’s mid-table rivals will now be rightly wary.

A Tactical Conflict Regarding System & Ideology

To illustrate, this was Jason Wilcox who being involved in the hierarchy that hired the 3-4-3 fundamentalist Amorim in the first place, was instrumental in trying to persuade Amorim to ditch his beloved 3-4-3. Naturally, these entreaties faced pushback. But perhaps such directives hold greater authority when issued from the mouth with the impeccable football pedigree of Jason Wilcox, a veteran of three England caps and a contributor to a title-winning side from 31 years ago.

Maybe eventually he might agree to outline his reasoning to the rest of us. Perhaps at some point he might be asked why Amorim is departing with a full payout, with no compensation reduction clause activated. But Jason Wilcox seldom speaks in public, and with very good reason. The true intellectuals in football – individuals such as him – function at a level beyond our own mundane comprehension. If he ever did speak, most likely we would perceive is a series of ultrasonic blips and four-dimensional whirring. Wanting is not equivalent to being prepared to receive.

The Ultimate Power In the Throne

But of course, by focusing our attention on the sporting director we are obscuring the real power behind the club's current leadership. The director is, after all, merely executing the directives of his ultimate line manager Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who privately has made very clear his preference for a back four. According to reports, the owner has also suggested deploying the forward in a wing-back role. The owner is eager for United to embrace data science and metrics. According to ESPN, during a leadership summit early in his investment, he announced that United’s style to football “will be decided by this group”.

After all, Sir Jim is an expert in these intricate football matters, leveraging his previous experience in industry and sailing. Above all he is immensely wealthy, and it is known, the rich are superior: more insightful, sagacious, more tactically astute, simply superior. Who else could one trust to oversee an enlightened programme of austerity, the building of a new stadium that looks a lot like someone’s leftover knitting, the acquisition of a new striker?

The Modern Football Order: Executives Over Coaches

This is a trend we are increasingly seeing in top-tier of the game. For decades, teams mistakenly delegated big footballing decisions to low-level employees like managers, scouts – players themselves. Perhaps it was once feasible for an up-and-coming, innovative manager with ideas and drive to join a club and see their vision supported to fruition. But how many businesses have such individuals set up? What number of large-scale layoffs have they managed? Far preferable to place the real power where it belongs: the leadership tier, the casually dressed executives, the guys with the jaw-dropping LinkedIn profiles. Better by far to determine the tactics in the boardroom and hire someone who will adapt their methods accordingly. If coaches were formerly chefs, they are now more like Deliveroo drivers: not really responsible for the product, but still ultimately answerable should it be delivered cold or leaks out of the box.

In the meantime, a coach's role is increasingly not about defining the vision and more about selling it: the front-facing representative on the front desk, the visible figurehead of an organisation they have minimal power to influence. A coach at Chelsea takes a squad of very young players into Europe and secures domestic cups, and effectively is dismissed for speaking out. Wilfried Nancy sees his standing damaged whereas the people who hired him continue to make errors another day.

A Neoliberal Football: Responsibility for the Few

And perhaps in a small way this is simply corporate governance in action: the rise of a privileged overclass who are infallible, whose choices are always untouchable, whose errors can invariably be sacked away without justification. Appoint the system coach only to fire them for playing too much that system. Hire the process guy and later bin him for requiring excessive time. And most importantly show gratitude; for the incremental increases in ticket costs, for your new summer signings, for the reality that the grownups – however well qualified – remain in control.