Head coach Ruben Amorim says that altering Manchester United's formation due to external scrutiny would have been "the finish" for him.
For the first time against Newcastle United, Amorim moved away from his trademark three-at-the-back formation with wide defenders and chose to field an standard back four with two holding midfielders.
By his own admission this at times transformed into a six-man defensive block in the latter stages as his team dug in for a crucial result - securing just their second clean sheet of the season.
Although he once notably remarked that even the Pope could pressure him to adjust his system, Amorim maintains the option to utilize different formations has remained part of his strategy.
Nevertheless, he emphasizes he could only implement the change when his team were performing well enough - lest it would seem as if he was succumbing to outside pressure.
"At the time I came here the previous campaign, I realized maybe I didn't possess the personnel to excel in that formation, but it was the commencement of a process," he said.
"Our aim was to establish an identity. Currently is a distinct moment. We don't have a full complement of players, and we have to adapt, so they see why we are switching things up.
"It is not because of the influence of the media, or the faithful.
"Whenever media discuss changing the system all the time, I cannot make a change because the squad will think I'm changing because of external voices and I think that is a disaster for the manager.
"When we are getting results in our system, that becomes the moment to change.
"We are going to develop into a more complete team because when all the players are back, we are not going to play with three defenders exclusively."
Injury Issues Continue
With just two victories in their last eight outings before beating Newcastle, it is arguable whether Amorim is correct to state his team have been in good form.
He is, though, operating with a depleted roster, with multiple senior stars already confirmed absent for the upcoming home game against winless Wolves.
That figure will increase if midfielder Mason Mount is unable to shake off the knock that led to his withdrawal from the Newcastle game at half-time.
Skipper Bruno Fernandes is one of those who will miss the Wolves clash, even though he is reportedly pressing his manager to allow him to return after his hamstring problem.
"Fernandes is already insisting he needs to practice," said Amorim. "However there is no chance he is going to feature against Wolves. No way. That's definitive."
The Captain's Leadership Endures
Nevertheless, the Portuguese star will almost certainly still be a prominent presence, as whereas most unavailable stars view matches from a private box, Fernandes was spotted keeping a close eye on the warm-ups from the mouth of the tunnel before the Newcastle game.
Amorim anticipates his leader to continue offering input.
"The guy is a leader," he affirmed. "He must not be the type of player that when he is absent, he's not talking and speaking. He's always speaking. That's why he's the captain.
"He has bad things at times - the way he moves his arms - but he has a lot of good things. Even after he recovers, he goes to observe the rest of the squad practicing. There are a lot of things you don't see.
"I don't know if he wants my job or not, but he's a leader. The guy is a true captain."
Return Schedule for Injured Players
While the exact timeline for the captain's comeback - and that of fellow unavailable players like Kobbie Mainoo, Matthijs de Ligt, and Harry Maguire - remains uncertain, before the conclusion of January, United will welcome back Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo from international competition.
