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Itbecame clear he endured losing against Grimsby. Survive an important continental showpiece against one of the worst Tottenham teams in living memory. He withstood losing at home against domestic rivals, finishing 15th, an unwavering system, undermining some of the club’s best academy products, a poor winning percentage, labeling his team the poorest in Manchester United history. Yet, there existed a single opponent with whom the Portuguese coach would not be allowed to engage. You come at Jason Wilcox, you had better succeed.

Regrettably, similar to numerous top-flight defender in Blackburn’s championship 1994-95 season, the coach took on the executive and seems to have failed. Even the most distracted of readers will notice the paradoxical situation: a manager who often railed at his players for failing in individual battles crumbling when confronted by the intense pressure and formidable presence of one of England's top division's most intimidating sporting directors.

And frankly, this entire bruising episode seems to paint Jason Wilcox in a whole new light. Perhaps it might have been easy, based on his brief stint in a similar role with the Saints, to regard Jason Wilcox as little more than a drudge in the United exoskeleton: an individual whose appointment was due largely to his close relationship with his former boss Omar Berrada as any demonstrable skill. How wrong everyone was. By masterfully outmanoeuvring United’s feted manager, as he outmanoeuvred the unfortunate a previous executive before him, Jason Wilcox has demonstrated to be among football's strategic masterminds: a tactical intellect that the club's competitors are now justifiably concerned.

A Strategic Conflict Regarding Formation and Ideology

To illustrate, it was Jason Wilcox who having been part of the leadership that hired the 3-4-3 fundamentalist the coach in the first place, played a key role in trying to persuade him to ditch his favored 3-4-3. Naturally, these pleas met a certain resistance. But perhaps these judgements hold greater authority when issued by a man with the impeccable football pedigree he possesses, holder of international appearances and a role in a title-winning side from 31 years ago.

Maybe eventually Jason Wilcox may be persuaded to explain his reasoning to the rest of us. Maybe one day questions may arise why Amorim is departing with a full payout, without any penalty clause activated. The director speaks rarely publicly, for excellent reasons. The true intellectuals in football – individuals such as Jason Wilcox – simply operate on a plane beyond our own prosaic understanding. Were he to speak, most likely all we would hear is a series of high-frequency signals and four-dimensional whirring. Desiring an explanation is not quite equivalent to being prepared to receive.

The Ultimate Authority Behind the Throne

Naturally, in training our focus on Jason Wilcox we overlook the true genius behind the modern United throne. The director is, after all, merely executing the commands of his ultimate superior Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who in private has emphasized his desire for a four-man defense. According to reports, the owner has also suggested playing Bryan Mbeumo as a right wing-back. Ratcliffe is keen for the club to embrace data science and metrics. According to ESPN, in an executive meeting early in his investment, he declared that United’s style of play “will be determined in this room”.

Ultimately, Sir Jim is a specialist in this technical football matters, drawing from his previous experience in industry and sailing. Most importantly he is incredibly rich, and it is known, the rich are superior: more insightful, sagacious, strategically brilliant, fundamentally better. Who else could one trust to oversee a strategic plan of austerity, the building of a modern arena that appears a lot like an abstract design, the signing of Benjamin Sesko?

The New Football Order: Directors Over Managers

This represents a shift that is becoming prevalent at the elite levels football. Historically, teams mistakenly entrusted big footballing decisions to low-level employees like managers, scouts – even footballers. Perhaps it was once possible for a young, visionary coach with a philosophy and energy to go into a club and see their vision supported to fruition. But how many businesses have such individuals set up? What number of mass redundancies have they overseen? Better by far to place genuine authority where it belongs: the leadership tier, the open-necked shirt brigade, the guys with impressive professional resumes. Better by far to determine the strategy in the boardroom and appoint a coach who will adapt their offering accordingly. If managers were formerly chefs, they have become more akin to delivery personnel: not creating the product, but still ultimately answerable should it be delivered cold or leaks out of the box.

Nowadays, a coach's role is increasingly less about crafting the philosophy and more about marketing it: the receptionist on the front desk, the visible figurehead for a club they can do little to influence. Enzo Maresca leads a team of literal children into the Champions League and secures two medium-sized trophies, and effectively is dismissed for speaking out. Wilfried Nancy sees his standing damaged while those individuals who hired him continue to make errors another day.

A Modern Corporate Football: Accountability for the Few

And perhaps in a small way this represents neoliberalism in action: the elevation of a gilded elite who can never be wrong, whose choices are always sacrosanct, whose errors can invariably be sacked away without explanation. Hire the 3-4-3 coach and then dismiss them for using too much 3-4-3. Hire the project manager and then discard them for requiring excessive time. And most importantly be grateful; for the incremental increases in ticket costs, for the latest player acquisitions, for the fact that the grownups – regardless of their expertise – remain in control.