Amorim's Fatal Mistake? Challenging Wilcox and an Infallible Executive Class

Itranspired Ruben Amorim could survive a loss to lower-league opposition. He weathered a decisive European final versus one of the worst Spurs sides for many years. He could survive home defeats against West Ham and Wolves, finishing 15th, his rigid approach, squandering the team's most promising academy products, the 32% win rate, labeling his team the worst in Manchester United history. But there was a single opponent with whom Ruben Amorim would not be allowed to tango. You come at Jason Wilcox, you had better succeed.

In truth, this whole painful saga appears to portray the director in a whole new light. Perhaps it might have been tempting, based on his nine months in a similar role at Southampton, to regard him as merely a functionary in the United exoskeleton: an individual who owed his position as much to his friendship with his former boss Omar Berrada rather than any demonstrable skill. How wrong everyone was. In brilliantly outmanoeuvring United’s feted head coach, just as he bested the unfortunate a previous executive before him, Jason Wilcox has proved himself to be among football's true generals: a tactical intellect of which United’s competitors will now be rightly wary.

A Tactical Clash Over System and Philosophy

For example, it was Jason Wilcox who having been part of the leadership that appointed the rigid 3-4-3 advocate Amorim originally, was instrumental in trying to persuade him to abandon his beloved 3-4-3. Naturally, these pleas met a certain resistance. But perhaps such directives carry more weight when delivered by a man with the impeccable football pedigree he possesses, holder of three England caps and a role in a championship team from 31 years ago.

Maybe eventually he might agree to explain his thought processes publicly. Maybe one day questions may arise why Amorim is departing with a full payout, with no compensation reduction clause in place. The director speaks rarely publicly, for excellent reasons. The real thinkers in football – men like Jason Wilcox – function at a level beyond our own mundane comprehension. If he ever did speak, probably all we would hear would be high-frequency signals and complex calculations. Desiring an explanation is not quite the same as being ready to comprehend it.

The Ultimate Authority Behind Command

But of course, in training our focus on Jason Wilcox we overlook the real power behind the club's current leadership. Jason Wilcox is, in reality, merely executing the directives of his superior the billionaire owner, who in private has made very clear his desire for a four-man defense. 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 analytics. According to ESPN, in an executive meeting soon after his investment, he announced that the team's approach to football “will be determined in this room”.

After all, Ratcliffe is a specialist in this technical footballing stuff, drawing from his background in petrochemicals and sailing. Most importantly he remains immensely wealthy, and it is known, the rich are superior: more insightful, sagacious, strategically brilliant, simply superior. Whom else would you trust to manage a strategic plan of austerity, the building of a modern arena that appears similar to someone’s leftover knitting, the acquisition of a new striker?

A Modern Soccer Hierarchy: Executives Over Managers

This is a trend we are increasingly seeing at the elite levels football. For decades, clubs foolishly entrusted major sporting choices to subordinate staff such as coaches, scouts – players themselves. Maybe previously feasible for a young, innovative manager with ideas and energy to join an organization and see their vision supported to fruition. But how many companies have such individuals set up? What number of mass redundancies 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 decide the tactics in the boardroom and hire someone who can tailor their methods to suit. If coaches were once chefs, they are now more like Deliveroo drivers: not creating the food, yet finally accountable should it be delivered poorly or fails of the box.

Nowadays, their job has become less about defining the vision and more about marketing it: the front-facing representative on the front desk, the visible figurehead of an organisation they can do little to influence. Enzo Maresca leads a team of literal children into the Champions League and wins two medium-sized trophies, and effectively gets sacked for speaking out. Wilfried Nancy finds his standing damaged whereas the people who appointed him continue to make errors indefinitely.

A Modern Corporate Football: Accountability Only for the Coaches

And possibly on some microcosmic level this is simply corporate governance at work: the elevation of a privileged overclass who are infallible, whose decisions are always sacrosanct, whose mistakes can invariably be sacked away without explanation. Hire the 3-4-3 coach and then dismiss them for using excessively 3-4-3. Hire the project manager and then bin them for requiring too long. And most importantly be grateful; for the incremental season ticket price rises, for the latest summer signings, for the reality that the adults – regardless of their expertise – are in charge.