Head coach Ruben Amorim contends that switching Manchester United's formation due to public pressure would have signaled "the end" for him.
For the first time against Newcastle United, Amorim moved away from his usual back three setup with wing-backs and opted to use an standard four-man defense with two central midfielders.
By his own admission this ultimately became a six-man defensive block in the final stages as his squad dug in for a win - securing just their second clean sheet of the campaign.
Despite he once memorably said that even the highest authority could force him to tweak his approach, Amorim maintains the ability to play with alternative setups has remained part of his strategy.
However, he emphasizes he could only alter the tactics when his team were doing at an acceptable level - lest it would seem as if he was giving in to outside noise.
"When I arrived here the previous campaign, I understood perhaps I lacked the personnel to perform effectively in that system, but it was the commencement of a project," he said.
"Our aim was to forge an identity. Today is a different time. We don't have a lot of personnel, and we need be flexible, so they see why we are changing.
"This isn't because of the influence of the media, or the supporters.
"Whenever you criticize altering the formation repeatedly, I cannot make a change because the squad will understand I'm altering things because of external voices and I believe that is the downfall for the manager.
"Once we are performing strongly in our system, that becomes the right time to change.
"We are going to become a more complete squad because when all the players are available, we are not going to play with a back three in every match."
Squad Crisis Loom Large
With just two victories in eight games before beating Newcastle, it is arguable whether Amorim is correct to claim his team have been playing well.
He is, however, working with a severely stretched roster, with multiple senior players already ruled out for the upcoming home game against struggling Wolverhampton Wanderers.
That figure will rise if midfielder Mason Mount is unable to recover the injury that forced his withdrawal from the Newcastle game at half-time.
Skipper Bruno Fernandes is one of those who will miss the Wolves clash, despite the fact he is understood to be pushing his manager to let him to return following his hamstring problem.
"Fernandes is already telling me he has to train," revealed Amorim. "However there is no chance he is going to play against Wolves. No chance. That's definitive."
The Captain's Leadership Endures
However, the Portuguese star will probably still be deeply engaged, as whereas most unavailable stars watch matches from a private box, Fernandes was observed monitoring the warm-ups from the entrance of the player's tunnel before the Newcastle game.
Amorim is sure his leader to carry on providing guidance.
"The guy is a natural leader," he stated. "He cannot be that guy that when he is absent, he's silent and offering advice. He's constantly communicating. That's why he's the skipper.
"He has bad things at times - the way he moves his arms - but he has a lot 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 born leader. He is a true captain."
Return Timeline for Key Personnel
While the specific timeline for Fernandes' return - and that of other injured stars like Kobbie Mainoo, Matthijs de Ligt, and Harry Maguire - remains unknown, before the conclusion of January, the club will see the return of Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo from continental duty.
