Head coach Ruben Amorim says that altering Manchester United's formation due to public noise would have been "his demise" for him.
In a first against Newcastle United, Amorim abandoned his usual back three setup with wing-backs and chose to field an standard back four with two central midfielders.
By his own admission this effectively functioned as a back six in the latter phase as his squad clung on for a victory - securing just their second-ever shutout of the campaign.
Although he once famously remarked that even the Pope could compel him to adjust his system, Amorim maintains the option to utilize varied formations has always been part of his long-term vision.
However, he stresses he could solely alter the tactics when his team were doing sufficiently well - lest it would seem as if he was bowing to outside criticism.
"At the time I arrived here the previous campaign, I realized maybe I don't have the personnel to perform effectively in that formation, but it was the beginning of a project," he stated.
"We were trying to build an philosophy. Today is a different moment. We are missing a lot of players, and we need be flexible, so they comprehend the reason we are making changes.
"It is not because of the demands of the media, or the fans.
"Whenever media talk about altering the formation constantly, I cannot make a change because the players will understand I'm changing because of you and I feel that is a disaster for the coach.
"Only when we are performing strongly in our system, then is the opportunity to change.
"We are going to become a more complete squad because when our full complement of players are available, we are not intending to use a back three all the time."
Injury Crisis Persist
With only two victories in their last eight outings prior to defeating Newcastle, it is arguable whether Amorim is right to claim his team have been playing well.
He is, though, managing with a depleted squad, with seven first-team stars already ruled out for the upcoming home game against winless Wolves.
That total will rise if midfielder Mason Mount fails to shake off the knock that forced his withdrawal from the Newcastle game at the interval.
Skipper Bruno Fernandes is among those who will miss the Wolves match, despite the fact he is reportedly pushing his manager to let him to return following his muscle problem.
"Bruno is already insisting he needs to train," said Amorim. "But there is no chance he is going to play against Wolves. Definitely not. That's definitive."
The Captain's Leadership Remains
However, the Portuguese star will probably still be a prominent presence, as whereas most unavailable players watch matches from a private box, Fernandes was seen monitoring the pre-match routines from the mouth of the player's tunnel before the Newcastle game.
Amorim anticipates his leader to continue offering input.
"He is a leader," he affirmed. "He must not be that guy that when he is absent, he's silent and offering advice. He's constantly communicating. That is the reason he's the captain.
"He has bad things at times - his mannerisms he moves his arms - but he has a lot of strengths. After he recovers, he goes to observe the other guys training. There are a lot of things that go unnoticed.
"I don't know if he desires my job or not, but he's a leader. The guy is a true captain."
Return Timeline for Key Players
While the exact date for Fernandes' comeback - and that of other unavailable players like Kobbie Mainoo, Matthijs de Ligt, and Harry Maguire - is unknown, before the conclusion of January, United will welcome back Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo from international duty.
