Head coach Ruben Amorim argues that changing Manchester United's formation due to media noise would have signaled "his demise" for him.
For the first time against Newcastle United, Amorim abandoned his trademark back three setup with wide defenders and opted to deploy an traditional four-man defense with two central midfielders.
He himself conceded this ultimately functioned as a six-man defensive block in the latter phase as his squad dug in for a win - securing only their second clean sheet of the campaign.
Despite he once notably remarked that not even the Pope could pressure him to tweak his system, Amorim insists the capacity to utilize varied setups has remained part of his plan.
Nevertheless, he emphasizes he could solely alter the tactics when his team were performing sufficiently well - otherwise it would seem as if he was giving in to external criticism.
"At the time I arrived here the previous campaign, I recognized maybe I lacked the players to excel in that system, but it was the commencement of a project," he said.
"Our aim was to forge an identity. Today is a distinct moment. We don't have a full complement of players, and we must be flexible, so they comprehend the reason we are switching things up.
"This isn't because of the pressure of you guys, or the supporters.
"When you talk about changing the formation constantly, I cannot change because the squad will understand I'm altering things because of you and I think that is the end for the coach.
"Only when we are playing well in our system, that is the right time to evolve.
"This will help us grow into a better team because when all the players are available, we are not going to play with a back three in every match."
Availability Challenges Continue
With only two wins in eight games before defeating Newcastle, it is arguable whether Amorim is right to claim his side have been in good form.
He is, though, operating with a depleted roster, with multiple senior stars already confirmed absent for the upcoming fixture against struggling Wolverhampton Wanderers.
That figure will rise if midfielder Mason Mount fails to recover the injury that led to his withdrawal from the Newcastle game at the interval.
Skipper Bruno Fernandes is a key name who will miss the Wolves match, even though he is understood to be urging his boss to let him to make a comeback following his hamstring injury.
"Fernandes is already saying he needs to practice," said Amorim. "But there is absolutely no possibility he is going to feature against Wolves. Definitely not. You can quote me on that."
Fernandes' Influence Endures
Nevertheless, the Portuguese star will almost certainly continue to be a prominent presence, as whereas most unavailable stars watch matches from a private box, Fernandes was observed keeping a close eye on the warm-ups from the mouth of the player's tunnel before the Newcastle game.
Amorim anticipates his captain to carry on offering input.
"He is a leader," he affirmed. "He cannot be the type of player that when he is not playing, he's not talking and offering advice. He's always speaking. That's why he's the skipper.
"He has negative aspects at times - the way he gesticulates - but he has a multitude of strengths. Even after he recovers, he goes to watch the other guys practicing. There are a lot of aspects that go unnoticed.
"I'm not sure if he desires my position or not, but he's a leader. He is a leader."
Return Timeline for Key Personnel
While the specific timeline for Fernandes' comeback - and that of fellow unavailable players like Kobbie Mainoo, Matthijs de Ligt, and Harry Maguire - remains unclear, by the end of January, United will see the return of Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo from continental competition.
