Boss Ruben Amorim contends that changing Man Utd's formation due to public scrutiny would have been "his demise" for him.
In a first against Newcastle United, Amorim ditched his customary back three formation with wide defenders and instead field an standard four-man defense with two central midfielders.
By his own admission this effectively functioned as a back six in the final phase as his side clung on for a crucial result - securing only their second-ever clean sheet of the season.
While he once famously said that even the Pope could pressure him to tweak his approach, Amorim maintains the ability to experiment with varied setups has always been part of his plan.
Nevertheless, he clarifies he could only alter the tactics when his team were doing sufficiently well - lest it would appear as if he was bowing to outside pressure.
"When I arrived here last season, I realized perhaps I lacked the personnel to perform effectively in a back three, but it was the beginning of a process," he commented.
"We were trying to build an style. Today is a different time. We don't have a lot of players, and we have to be flexible, so they understand the reason we are switching things up.
"It is not because of the influence of journalists, or the fans.
"Whenever the press discuss altering the system repeatedly, I cannot change because the squad will understand I'm changing because of you and I think that is the end for the manager.
"Only when we are playing well in our system, then is the right time to change.
"This will help us become a better team because when all the personnel are back, we are not going to employ a back three all the time."
Squad Challenges Loom Large
Having just two wins in their last eight outings prior to defeating Newcastle, it is questionable whether Amorim is accurate to claim his team have been playing well.
He is, though, operating with a severely stretched squad, with multiple senior stars already confirmed absent for the forthcoming home game against winless Wolverhampton Wanderers.
That total will grow if playmaker Mason Mount is unable to recover the injury that forced his withdrawal from the Newcastle game at the interval.
Captain Bruno Fernandes is a key name who will be absent for the Wolves clash, even though he is understood to be urging his boss to let him to return following his hamstring injury.
"Fernandes is already saying he has to practice," said Amorim. "But there is absolutely no possibility he is going to feature against Wolves. No way. You can write that."
Fernandes' Influence Endures
However, the 31-year-old will probably still be heavily involved, as while most unavailable players watch matches from the stands, Fernandes was seen monitoring the warm-ups from the entrance of the tunnel before the Newcastle game.
Amorim is sure his leader to carry on providing guidance.
"He is a natural leader," he declared. "He must not be the type of player that when he is not playing, he's not talking and speaking. He's always communicating. That's why he's the skipper.
"There are negative aspects at times - his mannerisms he moves his arms - but he has a multitude of good things. Even after he recovers, he heads to watch the rest of the squad training. There are a lot of things you don't see.
"I'm not sure if he wants my job or not, but he's a leader. The guy is a true captain."
Return Timeline for Key Personnel
While the exact date for the captain's return - and that of other unavailable players like Kobbie Mainoo, Matthijs de Ligt, and Harry Maguire - remains unknown, by the end of January, United will welcome back Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo from international duty.
