Boss Ruben Amorim says that switching Manchester United's tactical system due to media scrutiny would have signaled "his demise" for him.
Initially against Newcastle United, Amorim ditched his trademark three-at-the-back formation with wing-backs and opted to field an standard four-man defense with two central midfielders.
Amorim acknowledged this ultimately became a six-man defensive block in the final phase as his team held on for a victory - securing just their second shutout of the campaign.
Despite he once memorably remarked that not even the Pope could compel him to adjust his approach, Amorim insists the ability to utilize varied formations has remained part of his strategy.
Nevertheless, he emphasizes he could only make the switch when his team were performing sufficiently well - lest it would appear as if he was bowing to external noise.
"At the time I came here the previous campaign, I realized maybe I lacked the squad to play well in that system, but it was the start of a process," he commented.
"The goal was to establish an style. Now is a different moment. We are missing a lot of players, and we must adapt, so they see the reason we are switching things up.
"The change isn't because of the pressure of you guys, or the faithful.
"When you talk about altering the formation constantly, I cannot make a change because the squad will think I'm altering things because of external voices and I think that is a disaster for the coach.
"Only when we are playing well in our preferred setup, that becomes the opportunity to change.
"This will help us become a better squad because when all the personnel return, we are not going to play with a back three exclusively."
Availability Crisis Persist
With only two victories in eight games prior to beating Newcastle, it is debatable whether Amorim is right to claim his side have been in good form.
He is, however, working with a injury-ravaged roster, with seven first-team players already confirmed absent for the upcoming home game against struggling Wolves.
That figure will increase if midfielder Mason Mount is unable to recover the knock that forced his withdrawal from the Newcastle game at the interval.
Skipper Bruno Fernandes is one of those who will miss the Wolves match, despite the fact he is understood to be urging 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."
The Captain's Leadership Remains
However, the 31-year-old will likely still be a prominent presence, as while most injured stars view matches from a private box, Fernandes was spotted monitoring the pre-match routines from the mouth of the tunnel before the Newcastle game.
Amorim anticipates his captain to carry on offering input.
"He is a leader," he affirmed. "He cannot be the type of player that when he is absent, he's not talking and offering advice. He's always communicating. That's why he's the skipper.
"There are flaws at times - his mannerisms he gesticulates - but he has a multitude of strengths. After he finishes treatment, he goes to observe the rest of the squad practicing. There are a lot of things that go unnoticed.
"I'm not sure if he wants my position or not, but he's a leader. The guy is a true captain."
Recovery Schedule for Injured Players
Although the exact date for Fernandes' comeback - and that of other unavailable players like Kobbie Mainoo, Matthijs de Ligt, and Harry Maguire - is uncertain, by the end of January, United will see the return of Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo from international duty.
