Manager Ruben Amorim says that switching Manchester United's formation due to external noise would have signaled "his demise" for him.
Initially against Newcastle, Amorim moved away from his trademark three-at-the-back formation with wide defenders and opted to field an standard four-man defense shielded by two defensive midfielders.
By his own admission this ultimately became a back six in the final phase as his team held on for a win - securing only their second-ever clean sheet of the season.
Despite he once famously remarked that not even the Pope could pressure him to adjust his system, Amorim asserts the capacity to play with varied setups has consistently been part of his plan.
Nevertheless, he stresses he could solely implement the change when his team were performing well enough - or else it would appear as if he was bowing to outside criticism.
"When I arrived here the previous campaign, I understood perhaps I lacked the squad to play well in that formation, but it was the beginning of a journey," he stated.
"We were trying to establish an style. Currently is a separate juncture. We don't have a lot of personnel, and we have to adapt, so they understand the reason we are making changes.
"This isn't because of the demands of you guys, or the fans.
"Whenever you discuss changing the system all the time, I can't change because the squad will believe I'm altering things because of external voices and I believe that is the end for the manager.
"Only when we are getting results in our system, that becomes the moment to adapt.
"We are going to become a more complete team because when all the players are available, we are not planning to use three defenders exclusively."
Injury Challenges Continue
Having only two victories in eight games before defeating Newcastle, it is arguable whether Amorim is right to state his side have been playing well.
He is, nonetheless, operating with a depleted roster, with multiple senior players already ruled out for the upcoming fixture against struggling Wolverhampton Wanderers.
That total will increase if midfielder Mason Mount fails to recover the injury that led to his withdrawal from the Newcastle game at half-time.
Captain Bruno Fernandes is among those who will miss the Wolves clash, even though he is reportedly pressing his manager to allow him to make a comeback after his muscle injury.
"Fernandes is already insisting he has to train," revealed Amorim. "But there is no chance he is going to feature against Wolves. Definitely not. That's definitive."
Fernandes' Leadership Endures
Nevertheless, the Portuguese star will likely still be heavily involved, as while most unavailable stars view matches from the stands, Fernandes was observed keeping a close eye on the warm-ups from the entrance of the tunnel before the Newcastle game.
Amorim expects his captain to continue providing insight.
"The guy is a natural leader," he declared. "He must not be the type of player that when he is not playing, he's not talking and speaking. He's always vocal. That's why he's the captain.
"There are negative aspects sometimes - his mannerisms he moves his arms - but he has a multitude of good things. Even after he recovers, he heads to watch the rest of the squad training. There are a many aspects that go unnoticed.
"I'm not sure if he desires my position or not, but he's a born leader. He is a leader."
Return Timeline for Injured Personnel
While the specific date for Fernandes' return - and that of other unavailable players like Kobbie Mainoo, Matthijs de Ligt, and Harry Maguire - is unclear, before the conclusion of January, United will welcome back Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo from continental competition.
