Head coach Ruben Amorim argues that altering Manchester United's formation due to media noise would have signaled "his demise" for him.
For the first time against Newcastle United, Amorim moved away from his customary three-at-the-back setup with wide defenders and instead use an standard four-man defense with two holding midfielders.
He himself conceded this ultimately functioned as a six-man defensive block in the latter stages as his side held on for a win - securing just their second-ever clean sheet of the season.
Despite he once famously stated that not even the highest authority could force him to tweak his system, Amorim insists the option to play with alternative setups has remained part of his strategy.
However, he emphasizes he could solely make the switch when his team were faring well enough - or else it would look as if he was giving in to external pressure.
"At the time I arrived here last season, I realized perhaps I don't have the players to perform effectively in that formation, but it was the commencement of a journey," he said.
"Our aim was to establish an identity. Now is a different moment. We don't have a full complement of personnel, and we must be flexible, so they comprehend why we are making changes.
"The change isn't because of the pressure of you guys, or the fans.
"Whenever you discuss altering the formation all the time, I can't change because the squad will think I'm altering things because of external voices and I feel that is the downfall for the coach.
"When we are performing strongly in our preferred setup, that becomes the opportunity to adapt.
"We will become a more complete team because when our full complement of players are available, we are not intending to use three defenders all the time."
Injury Issues Loom Large
Having just two wins in eight games before defeating Newcastle, it is arguable whether Amorim is correct to claim his team have been in good form.
He is, however, managing with a injury-ravaged squad, with seven first-team stars already confirmed absent for the forthcoming fixture against struggling Wolverhampton Wanderers.
That figure will rise if playmaker Mason Mount is unable to recover the knock that led to his withdrawal from the Newcastle game at the interval.
Captain Bruno Fernandes is among those who will be absent for the Wolves match, despite the fact he is understood to be urging his boss to allow him to make a comeback following his muscle injury.
"Bruno is already telling me he needs to practice," revealed Amorim. "But there is absolutely no possibility he is going to feature against Wolves. No way. That's definitive."
The Captain's Role Endures
However, the Portuguese star will almost certainly continue to be a prominent presence, as whereas most injured players view matches from a private box, Fernandes was spotted monitoring the warm-ups from the mouth of the player's tunnel before the Newcastle game.
Amorim expects his leader to continue providing guidance.
"The guy is a leader," he affirmed. "He must not be that guy that when he is not playing, he's silent and offering advice. He's constantly speaking. That is the reason he's the skipper.
"He has bad things sometimes - his mannerisms he gesticulates - but he has a lot of strengths. After he recovers, he heads to observe the other guys practicing. There are a lot of things that go unnoticed.
"I'm not sure if he desires my position or not, but he's a leader. The guy is a leader."
Recovery Timeline for Key Personnel
Although the precise timeline for Fernandes' comeback - and that of other unavailable stars like Kobbie Mainoo, Matthijs de Ligt, and Harry Maguire - is unknown, before the conclusion of January, United will welcome back Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo from international duty.
