Head coach Ruben Amorim argues that switching Man Utd's formation due to media noise would have meant "his demise" for him.
In a first against Newcastle United, Amorim abandoned his trademark three-at-the-back setup with wide defenders and opted to field an standard four-man defense with two holding midfielders.
He himself conceded this at times functioned as a six-man defensive block in the latter phase as his squad clung on for a win - securing just their second clean sheet of the campaign.
Despite he once memorably said that not even the highest authority could pressure him to tweak his system, Amorim asserts the capacity to utilize varied formations has always been part of his strategy.
However, he clarifies he could only implement the change when his team were doing at an acceptable level - otherwise it would seem as if he was bowing to external criticism.
"When I arrived here the previous campaign, I realized maybe I lacked the personnel to play well in a back three, but it was the beginning of a project," he said.
"We were trying to establish an identity. Currently is a different moment. We don't have a full complement of personnel, and we must adjust, so they understand why we are changing.
"This isn't because of the influence of journalists, or the faithful.
"When you talk about changing the formation repeatedly, I cannot make a change because the players will think I'm changing because of external voices and I believe that is the end for the coach.
"Only when we are performing strongly in our system, that is the moment to evolve.
"We will become a more complete side because when all the players are back, we are not going to use three defenders exclusively."
Squad Issues Persist
Having just two victories in eight games before beating Newcastle, it is questionable whether Amorim is right to claim his side have been playing well.
He is, nonetheless, managing with a injury-ravaged squad, with multiple first-team stars already ruled out for the forthcoming fixture against winless Wolverhampton Wanderers.
That total will increase if midfielder Mason Mount fails to recover the injury that forced his exit from the Newcastle game at half-time.
Captain Bruno Fernandes is among those who will be absent for the Wolves match, even though he is understood to be pressing his manager to allow him to make a comeback following his hamstring injury.
"Bruno is already telling me he has to practice," revealed Amorim. "However there is absolutely no possibility he is going to feature against Wolves. Definitely not. You can quote me on that."
Fernandes' Influence Remains
Nevertheless, the 31-year-old will likely continue to be heavily involved, as whereas most unavailable stars watch 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 leader to carry on offering input.
"The guy is a leader," he affirmed. "He must not be that guy that when he is not playing, he's silent and speaking. He's constantly vocal. That is the reason he's the captain.
"There are flaws sometimes - the way he gesticulates - but he has a lot of strengths. After he recovers, he goes to watch the rest of the squad training. There are a lot of aspects that go unnoticed.
"I'm not sure if he desires my position or not, but he's a born leader. He is a true captain."
Return Schedule for Key Personnel
While the exact date for Fernandes' return - and that of other injured stars like Kobbie Mainoo, Matthijs de Ligt, and Harry Maguire - is unclear, before the conclusion of January, the club will welcome back Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo from international competition.
