KillVearn

The philosophy is much different because in England managers have(or at least used to have) longer spells at a club, therefore it works exactly as you said. Italian owners and managers are quite moody(see Cellino or Pozzo ), thus it becomes a key factor to have an executive that is on top of the coach since it is much easier that they would stay longer and plan a long term future for the club.  A director usually asks a coach wether or not they need a defender, a midfielder or a striker but it is rare that they leave the last word to a coach: you can see this clearly from Conte's previous interviews or from famous executives such as Moggi, Marotta or Galliani.