Boss Ruben Amorim says that changing Manchester United's formation due to public pressure would have meant "the finish" for him.
In a first against Newcastle United, Amorim moved away from his customary three-at-the-back formation with wide defenders and chose to use an standard four-man defense with two holding midfielders.
He himself conceded this effectively became a six-man defensive block in the latter phase as his team held on for a win - securing only their second clean sheet of the campaign.
Although he once memorably remarked that even the Pope could force him to tweak his approach, Amorim insists the capacity to experiment with alternative setups has remained part of his long-term vision.
Yet, he emphasizes he could only make the switch when his team were doing at an acceptable level - lest it would seem as if he was bowing to outside noise.
"When I came here last season, I understood perhaps I don't have the squad to play well in a back three, but it was the start of a journey," he stated.
"We were trying to build an philosophy. Currently is a different time. We don't have a lot of players, and we need be flexible, so they comprehend the reason we are switching things up.
"It is not because of the demands of the media, or the fans.
"Whenever you talk about changing the formation all the time, I cannot make a change because the squad will understand I'm altering things because of you and I believe that is the downfall for the manager.
"Only when we are playing well in our system, that becomes the right time to change.
"This will help us grow into a better squad because when our full complement of players are available, we are not planning to play with three defenders exclusively."
Availability Crisis Loom Large
Having only two wins in their last eight outings before beating Newcastle, it is questionable whether Amorim is accurate to say his team have been in good form.
He is, though, working with a depleted squad, with multiple first-team players already unavailable for the upcoming home game against struggling Wolverhampton Wanderers.
That figure will increase if midfielder Mason Mount is unable to shake off the injury 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 urging his boss to allow him to make a comeback following his hamstring injury.
"Fernandes is already insisting he needs to practice," revealed Amorim. "But there is no chance he is going to feature against Wolves. Definitely not. That's definitive."
Fernandes' Influence Endures
Nevertheless, the Portuguese star will probably still be heavily involved, as whereas most unavailable players view matches from a private box, Fernandes was spotted monitoring the warm-ups from the entrance of the player's tunnel before the Newcastle game.
Amorim anticipates his captain to carry on offering guidance.
"He is a natural leader," he declared. "He must not be the type of player that when he is absent, he's silent and speaking. He's constantly communicating. That's why he's the captain.
"There are bad things at times - his mannerisms he moves his arms - but he has a lot of strengths. After he finishes treatment, he goes to observe the rest of the squad training. There are a lot of aspects you don't see.
"I don't know if he wants my position or not, but he's a leader. He is a leader."
Recovery Timeline for Key Personnel
Although the exact timeline for Fernandes' return - and that of fellow injured players like Kobbie Mainoo, Matthijs de Ligt, and Harry Maguire - remains unknown, by the end of January, the club will welcome back Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo from international competition.
