Head coach Ruben Amorim says that altering Manchester United's tactical system due to external noise would have signaled "his demise" for him.
Initially against Newcastle United, Amorim moved away from his usual back three formation with wing-backs and instead use an orthodox back four shielded by two holding midfielders.
Amorim acknowledged this ultimately transformed into a back six in the final stages as his squad held on for a victory - securing just their second-ever shutout of the season.
Despite he once memorably said that even the Pope could compel him to tweak his approach, Amorim maintains the ability to experiment with different formations has remained part of his strategy.
However, he stresses he could solely alter the tactics when his team were doing sufficiently well - lest it would look as if he was giving in to external criticism.
"When I arrived here last season, I recognized maybe I lacked the players to excel in a back three, but it was the start of a journey," he stated.
"The goal was to build an philosophy. Now is a separate juncture. We don't have a full complement of personnel, and we need adapt, so they understand why we are switching things up.
"This isn't because of the demands of you guys, or the supporters.
"When you criticize changing the system constantly, I can't make a change because the squad will believe I'm altering things because of you and I believe that is a disaster for the manager.
"Once we are playing well in our system, then is the right time to adapt.
"We are going to grow into a stronger team because when our full complement of personnel are back, we are not planning to use a back three all the time."
Injury Crisis Loom Large
With only two victories in eight games before defeating Newcastle, it is questionable whether Amorim is correct to claim his team have been in good form.
He is, though, operating with a severely stretched roster, with multiple senior stars already confirmed absent for the forthcoming home game against winless Wolves.
That number will increase if playmaker Mason Mount is unable to shake off the injury that forced his exit from the Newcastle game at half-time.
Skipper Bruno Fernandes is one of those who will be absent for the Wolves match, despite the fact he is reportedly pushing his manager to let him to make a comeback after his muscle problem.
"Bruno is already insisting he needs to train," revealed Amorim. "But there is absolutely no possibility he is going to feature against Wolves. Definitely not. You can write that."
The Captain's Influence Remains
However, the Portuguese star will probably continue to be a prominent presence, as whereas most unavailable players view matches from a private box, Fernandes was seen keeping a close eye on the pre-match routines from the mouth of the player's tunnel before the Newcastle game.
Amorim anticipates his captain to continue providing insight.
"He is a natural leader," he affirmed. "He must not be that guy that when he is not playing, he's not talking and speaking. He's always speaking. That's why he's the captain.
"There are bad things at times - the way he moves his arms - but he has a lot of strengths. Even after he recovers, he goes to watch the other guys training. There are a lot of aspects you don't see.
"I'm not sure if he desires my job or not, but he's a leader. The guy is a true captain."
Return Timeline for Injured Players
While the precise timeline for Fernandes' return - and that of fellow unavailable stars like Kobbie Mainoo, Matthijs de Ligt, and Harry Maguire - remains unknown, before the conclusion of January, United will see the return of Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo from continental competition.
