Head coach Ruben Amorim says that altering Manchester United's formation due to media pressure would have signaled "the finish" for him.
Initially against Newcastle, Amorim ditched his customary three-at-the-back formation with wide defenders and instead deploy an traditional four-man defense with two central midfielders.
He himself conceded this effectively became a six-man defensive block in the latter phase as his squad clung on for a victory - securing only their second shutout of the season.
Despite he once notably said that even the highest authority could pressure him to tweak his system, Amorim insists the capacity to play with different setups has always been part of his strategy.
Nevertheless, he emphasizes he could solely alter the tactics when his team were performing sufficiently well - or else it would look as if he was bowing to outside noise.
"When I arrived here the previous campaign, I realized perhaps I don't have the players to play well in that system, but it was the start of a project," he said.
"The goal was to build an style. Now is a different time. We lack a lot of players, and we must be flexible, so they understand why we are making changes.
"The change isn't because of the influence of the media, or the fans.
"When you discuss changing the system all the time, I cannot make a change because the squad will understand I'm changing because of external voices and I believe that is a disaster for the coach.
"Only when we are playing well in our preferred setup, that is the right time to change.
"We will develop into a more complete team because when all the personnel are available, we are not planning to play with a back three all the time."
Injury Issues Persist
With only two victories in their last eight outings prior to beating Newcastle, it is arguable whether Amorim is right to state his team have been in good form.
He is, though, working with a severely stretched roster, with seven senior stars already ruled out for the upcoming home game against struggling Wolves.
That figure will rise if playmaker Mason Mount fails to recover the injury that led to his exit from the Newcastle game at half-time.
Captain Bruno Fernandes is one of those who will be absent for the Wolves match, despite the fact he is understood to be urging his manager to let him to make a comeback following his hamstring injury.
"Bruno is already saying he has to practice," said Amorim. "But there is absolutely no possibility he is going to feature against Wolves. No way. You can quote me on that."
The Captain's Role Remains
Nevertheless, the 31-year-old will almost certainly still be heavily involved, as whereas most unavailable stars watch matches from a private box, Fernandes was observed keeping a close eye on the pre-match routines from the mouth of the tunnel before the Newcastle game.
Amorim expects his captain to carry on providing guidance.
"The guy is a natural leader," he stated. "He cannot be the type of player that when he is absent, he's silent and offering advice. He's constantly speaking. That's why he's the skipper.
"There are bad things at times - his mannerisms he moves his arms - but he has a lot of positive qualities. After he recovers, he heads to watch the other guys training. There are a lot of things that go unnoticed.
"I'm not sure if he wants my position or not, but he's a leader. The guy is a true captain."
Recovery Timeline for Key Personnel
Although the specific timeline for the captain's comeback - and that of other unavailable stars like Kobbie Mainoo, Matthijs de Ligt, and Harry Maguire - remains unknown, by the end of January, the club will see the return of Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo from continental competition.
