Manager Ruben Amorim contends that altering Manchester United's formation due to external noise would have been "his demise" for him.
For the first time against Newcastle United, Amorim abandoned his trademark back three formation with wide defenders and opted to deploy an traditional four-man defense with two defensive midfielders.
Amorim acknowledged this at times transformed into a six-man defensive block in the closing stages as his squad dug in for a win - securing just their second clean sheet of the campaign.
While he once memorably stated that even the Pope could force him to adjust his system, Amorim insists the option to experiment with different formations has consistently been part of his plan.
Yet, he stresses he could solely alter the tactics when his team were faring at an acceptable level - or else it would look as if he was bowing to external noise.
"When I arrived here the previous campaign, I realized maybe I lacked the personnel to perform effectively in that system, but it was the beginning of a project," he said.
"Our aim was to forge an philosophy. Now is a different juncture. We lack a full complement of personnel, and we must adjust, so they understand the reason we are making changes.
"This isn't because of the influence of the media, or the faithful.
"Whenever media talk about changing the formation all the time, I cannot change because the squad will think I'm altering things because of external voices and I believe that is the end for the manager.
"Only when we are getting results in our system, then is the opportunity to adapt.
"This will help us grow into a stronger squad because when all the players are back, we are not going to use a back three in every match."
Squad Crisis Persist
With only two wins in their last eight outings before beating Newcastle, it is arguable whether Amorim is correct to state his team have been playing well.
He is, nonetheless, managing with a severely stretched squad, with multiple senior stars already unavailable for the forthcoming home game against struggling Wolverhampton Wanderers.
That number will increase if playmaker Mason Mount is unable to shake off the knock that led to his withdrawal from the Newcastle game at the interval.
Captain Bruno Fernandes is among those who will miss the Wolves match, even though he is understood to be pushing his manager to let him to return following his hamstring injury.
"Fernandes is already insisting he has to practice," said Amorim. "But there is absolutely no possibility he is going to play against Wolves. No way. You can quote me on that."
The Captain's Leadership Is Unwavering
However, the 31-year-old will almost certainly continue to be a prominent presence, as whereas most unavailable stars watch matches from the stands, Fernandes was observed keeping a close eye on the pre-match routines from the mouth of the tunnel before the Newcastle game.
Amorim anticipates his captain to carry on providing input.
"He is a leader," he stated. "He must not be the type of player that when he is not playing, he's not talking and speaking. He's always vocal. That is the reason he's the captain.
"There are negative aspects sometimes - his mannerisms he moves his arms - but he has a lot of strengths. After he recovers, he heads to watch the other guys training. There are a lot of aspects that go unnoticed.
"I'm not sure if he desires my job or not, but he's a born leader. He is a leader."
Return Timeline for Key Personnel
While the exact timeline for the captain's return - and that of other injured stars like Kobbie Mainoo, Matthijs de Ligt, and Harry Maguire - is unknown, before the conclusion of January, the club will see the return of Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo from international competition.
