Boss Ruben Amorim argues that changing Man Utd's formation due to media noise would have been "his demise" for him.
In a first against Newcastle United, Amorim abandoned his customary three-at-the-back setup with wide defenders and opted to use an traditional four-man defense shielded by two defensive midfielders.
He himself conceded this ultimately became a six-man defensive block in the latter phase as his side held on for a win - securing only their second clean sheet of the season.
Although he once famously said that even the Pope could force him to change his approach, Amorim asserts the option to play with varied formations has consistently been part of his plan.
Nevertheless, he stresses he could only make the switch when his team were faring well enough - otherwise it would look as if he was bowing to outside noise.
"At the time I arrived here the previous campaign, I realized maybe I lacked the players to play well in that system, but it was the start of a project," he commented.
"Our aim was to establish an philosophy. Today is a separate juncture. We lack a lot of players, and we must adapt, so they see the reason we are making changes.
"The change isn't because of the pressure of journalists, or the fans.
"Whenever media talk about altering the system repeatedly, I can't make a change because the squad will understand I'm altering things because of external voices and I think that is the downfall for the manager.
"Once we are performing strongly in our system, that is the opportunity to adapt.
"We are going to develop into a better team because when all the personnel are back, we are not going to employ a back three in every match."
Squad Crisis Continue
With just two wins in their last eight outings prior to defeating Newcastle, it is arguable whether Amorim is accurate to claim his team have been in good form.
He is, nonetheless, working with a injury-ravaged squad, with seven senior stars already ruled out for the upcoming home game against winless Wolves.
That total will rise if playmaker Mason Mount fails to recover the injury that forced his withdrawal from the Newcastle game at half-time.
Skipper Bruno Fernandes is a key name who will be absent for the Wolves match, despite the fact he is understood to be pushing his boss to let him to return following his muscle problem.
"Fernandes is already insisting he needs to practice," said Amorim. "However there is no chance he is going to feature against Wolves. Definitely not. You can quote me on that."
Fernandes' Influence Is Unwavering
However, the 31-year-old will likely continue to be deeply engaged, as while most unavailable stars view matches from a private box, Fernandes was spotted monitoring the warm-ups from the entrance of the tunnel before the Newcastle game.
Amorim expects his captain to continue offering guidance.
"The guy is a leader," he declared. "He cannot be the type of player that when he is not playing, he's silent and speaking. He's constantly communicating. That is the reason he's the captain.
"He has bad things sometimes - his mannerisms he gesticulates - but he has a multitude of good things. 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 born leader. He is a true captain."
Return Schedule for Key Players
While the precise date for Fernandes' return - and that of fellow unavailable players like Kobbie Mainoo, Matthijs de Ligt, and Harry Maguire - is unclear, by the end of January, United will see the return of Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo from international duty.
