Manager Ruben Amorim contends that switching Manchester United's formation due to media scrutiny would have been "his demise" for him.
In a first against Newcastle, Amorim ditched his usual back three formation with wing-backs and chose to field an standard four-man defense shielded by two defensive midfielders.
Amorim acknowledged this effectively became a six-man defensive block in the closing phase as his side held on for a victory - securing only their second clean sheet of the season.
While he once famously stated that not even the Pope could compel him to tweak his approach, Amorim maintains the capacity to utilize alternative formations has consistently been part of his strategy.
Yet, he emphasizes he could solely make the switch when his team were faring sufficiently well - or else it would appear as if he was bowing to outside noise.
"When I came here the previous campaign, I understood maybe I didn't possess the players to excel in a back three, but it was the commencement of a process," he said.
"The goal was to establish an philosophy. Today is a separate time. We lack a lot of personnel, and we need adjust, so they understand why we are switching things up.
"It is not because of the demands of you guys, or the faithful.
"Whenever you talk about changing the formation all the time, I cannot make a change because the squad will think I'm changing because of external voices and I believe that is the end for the manager.
"Only when we are getting results in our preferred setup, that is the moment to evolve.
"We are going to grow into a better team because when our full complement of personnel are available, we are not going to play with a back three all the time."
Squad Issues Persist
Having only two wins in their last eight outings before defeating Newcastle, it is questionable whether Amorim is accurate to claim his side have been in good form.
He is, however, working with a injury-ravaged squad, with multiple first-team players already ruled out for the forthcoming home game against winless Wolves.
That total will rise if midfielder Mason Mount is unable to recover the injury that led to his exit from the Newcastle game at half-time.
Captain Bruno Fernandes is a key name who will be absent for the Wolves match, even though he is reportedly pushing his boss to let him to make a comeback following his hamstring problem.
"Fernandes is already insisting he needs to train," revealed Amorim. "But there is absolutely no possibility he is going to feature against Wolves. Definitely not. That's definitive."
Fernandes' Leadership Is Unwavering
However, the Portuguese star will almost certainly still be deeply engaged, as while most unavailable stars view matches from the stands, Fernandes was spotted monitoring the pre-match routines from the mouth of the tunnel before the Newcastle game.
Amorim is sure his captain to continue providing guidance.
"The guy is a leader," he declared. "He must not be the type of player that when he is not playing, he's silent and speaking. He's constantly vocal. That's why he's the skipper.
"He has flaws at times - his mannerisms he moves his arms - but he has a lot of strengths. Even after he finishes treatment, he heads to observe the rest of the squad training. There are a many things that go unnoticed.
"I'm not sure if he wants my job or not, but he's a leader. The guy is a true captain."
Return Schedule for Injured Players
Although the precise date for the captain's return - and that of other injured players like Kobbie Mainoo, Matthijs de Ligt, and Harry Maguire - remains uncertain, by the end of January, the club will see the return of Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo from international duty.
