Head coach Ruben Amorim says that altering Manchester United's formation due to media noise would have meant "his demise" for him.
In a first against Newcastle United, Amorim moved away from his customary back three setup with wide defenders and chose to use an standard back four with two holding midfielders.
By his own admission this effectively transformed into a six-man defensive block in the latter minutes as his team dug in for a win - securing only their second clean sheet of the campaign.
While he once notably remarked that not even the Pope could force him to change his approach, Amorim asserts the option to play with alternative setups has consistently been part of his plan.
Nevertheless, he stresses he could only implement the change when his team were performing well enough - or else it would look as if he was bowing to outside pressure.
"At the time I arrived here last season, I recognized perhaps I lacked the squad to perform effectively in that system, but it was the start of a journey," he commented.
"We were trying to establish an philosophy. Now is a separate time. We lack a full complement of players, and we must adjust, so they see the reason we are changing.
"This isn't because of the influence of you guys, or the faithful.
"Whenever you discuss changing the system repeatedly, I can't make a change because the squad will understand I'm changing because of you and I feel that is the downfall for the coach.
"When we are playing well in our preferred setup, that is the right time to evolve.
"We are going to develop into a stronger team because when all the personnel return, we are not going to use three defenders in every match."
Squad Challenges Persist
Having only two wins in their last eight outings prior to beating Newcastle, it is debatable whether Amorim is accurate to claim his side have been playing well.
He is, however, managing with a injury-ravaged squad, with seven senior stars already confirmed absent for the forthcoming home game against winless Wolves.
That figure will rise if midfielder Mason Mount is unable to recover the knock that led to his withdrawal from the Newcastle game at half-time.
Captain Bruno Fernandes is a key name who will miss the Wolves clash, even though he is understood to be urging his manager to allow him to make a comeback after his hamstring problem.
"Bruno is already telling me he has to practice," said Amorim. "But there is absolutely no possibility he is going to feature against Wolves. No way. You can write that."
Fernandes' Influence Endures
Nevertheless, the 31-year-old will almost certainly still be heavily involved, as while most unavailable players watch matches from a private box, Fernandes was spotted keeping a close eye on the pre-match routines from the entrance of the player's tunnel before the Newcastle game.
Amorim is sure his captain to carry on offering insight.
"He 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 constantly speaking. That is the reason he's the skipper.
"He has flaws at times - the way he gesticulates - but he has a lot of good things. After he finishes treatment, he goes to observe the other guys practicing. There are a many things you don't see.
"I don't know if he wants my position or not, but he's a leader. He is a true captain."
Return Schedule for Key Players
Although the exact timeline for Fernandes' comeback - and that of fellow unavailable players like Kobbie Mainoo, Matthijs de Ligt, and Harry Maguire - remains unknown, before the conclusion of January, United will see the return of Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo from international competition.
