Boss Ruben Amorim says that switching Manchester United's tactical system due to public scrutiny would have been "the end" for him.
In a first against Newcastle United, Amorim ditched his usual three-at-the-back formation with wide defenders and opted to field an traditional four-man defense shielded by two central midfielders.
Amorim acknowledged this ultimately functioned as a back six in the latter stages as his team dug in for a win - securing just their second-ever clean sheet of the campaign.
Despite he once memorably said that even the highest authority could compel him to adjust his approach, Amorim insists the capacity to experiment with different setups has remained part of his strategy.
Nevertheless, he stresses he could solely alter the tactics when his team were doing sufficiently well - or else it would look as if he was succumbing to external noise.
"When I arrived here the previous campaign, I recognized perhaps I didn't possess the personnel to perform effectively in a back three, but it was the start of a project," he said.
"We were trying to establish an philosophy. Currently is a separate moment. We are missing a lot of personnel, and we have to be flexible, so they see the reason we are making changes.
"It is not because of the pressure of journalists, or the supporters.
"When the press criticize altering the formation all the time, I cannot make a change because the players will understand I'm changing because of you and I feel that is the downfall for the manager.
"Only when we are getting results in our system, that is the opportunity to adapt.
"This will help us grow into a more complete squad because when our full complement of players return, we are not planning to play with three defenders all the time."
Injury Challenges Persist
With just two wins in their last eight outings prior to defeating Newcastle, it is debatable whether Amorim is correct to claim his team have been in good form.
He is, however, working with a severely stretched squad, with seven first-team stars already confirmed absent for the upcoming home game against struggling Wolves.
That total will grow if midfielder Mason Mount fails to recover the knock that forced his withdrawal from the Newcastle game at the interval.
Captain Bruno Fernandes is one of those who will be absent for the Wolves match, even though he is understood to be pushing his boss to allow him to return following his hamstring problem.
"Bruno is already saying he has to practice," revealed Amorim. "But there is absolutely no possibility he is going to feature against Wolves. No way. You can quote me on that."
Fernandes' Leadership Remains
However, the 31-year-old will almost certainly still be heavily involved, as while most unavailable players watch matches from a private box, Fernandes was observed monitoring the warm-ups from the mouth of the player's tunnel before the Newcastle game.
Amorim expects his captain to carry on offering insight.
"The guy is a natural leader," he affirmed. "He cannot be that guy that when he is absent, he's not talking and offering advice. He's always communicating. That's why he's the captain.
"He has flaws sometimes - the way he moves his arms - but he has a lot of positive qualities. 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 wants my job or not, but he's a born leader. He is a true captain."
Return Timeline for Injured Personnel
Although the precise timeline for the captain's comeback - and that of other injured stars like Kobbie Mainoo, Matthijs de Ligt, and Harry Maguire - is unknown, by the end of January, United will see the return of Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo from continental competition.
