Boss Ruben Amorim contends that altering Manchester United's formation due to external scrutiny would have been "the end" for him.
In a first against Newcastle United, Amorim moved away from his usual three-at-the-back formation with wide defenders and chose to field an traditional four-man defense shielded by two central midfielders.
Amorim acknowledged this ultimately functioned as a back six in the final minutes as his team held on for a win - securing just their second shutout of the campaign.
Despite he once notably said that not even the Pope could pressure him to tweak his system, Amorim maintains the ability to utilize varied setups has consistently been part of his plan.
Yet, he clarifies he could only alter the tactics when his team were faring well enough - lest it would appear as if he was giving in to external criticism.
"When I came here the previous campaign, I realized maybe I lacked the squad to perform effectively in that system, but it was the commencement of a process," he stated.
"The goal was to forge an style. Today is a separate juncture. We don't have a full complement of players, and we have to adapt, so they understand why we are making changes.
"The change isn't because of the influence of the media, or the faithful.
"When media talk about altering the formation repeatedly, I can't make a change because the squad will believe I'm changing because of external voices and I think that is a disaster for the manager.
"Only when we are getting results in our preferred setup, then is the opportunity to evolve.
"This will help us become a better team because when our full complement of personnel are back, we are not going to use a back three exclusively."
Availability Crisis Loom Large
Having just two victories in eight games before beating Newcastle, it is arguable whether Amorim is correct to say his side have been playing well.
He is, nonetheless, managing with a injury-ravaged roster, with seven senior stars already unavailable for the forthcoming fixture against struggling Wolves.
That figure will grow if midfielder Mason Mount fails to shake off the knock that led to his exit from the Newcastle game at the interval.
Skipper Bruno Fernandes is among those who will miss the Wolves clash, even though he is understood to be pushing his boss to let him to return after his hamstring injury.
"Fernandes is already telling me he has to train," said Amorim. "But there is absolutely no possibility he is going to feature against Wolves. No way. That's definitive."
Fernandes' Leadership Is Unwavering
However, the 31-year-old will probably still be a prominent presence, as while most injured stars watch matches from a private box, Fernandes was observed monitoring the pre-match routines from the mouth of the tunnel before the Newcastle game.
Amorim expects his leader to carry on providing input.
"He is a natural leader," he declared. "He must not be that guy that when he is absent, he's silent and speaking. He's always vocal. That is the reason he's the captain.
"There are flaws sometimes - the way he moves his arms - but he has a lot of strengths. Even after he recovers, he heads to observe the other guys practicing. There are a lot of things that go unnoticed.
"I'm not sure if he desires my job or not, but he's a leader. He is a leader."
Return Schedule for Injured Players
While the precise timeline for Fernandes' comeback - and that of other unavailable stars like Kobbie Mainoo, Matthijs de Ligt, and Harry Maguire - is unclear, before the conclusion of January, United will see the return of Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo from continental duty.
