Boss Ruben Amorim says that altering Manchester United's formation due to external pressure would have meant "the end" for him.
Initially against Newcastle United, Amorim ditched his trademark back three setup with wing-backs and chose to use an standard back four with two defensive midfielders.
He himself conceded this effectively became a back six in the closing minutes as his team clung on for a crucial result - securing only their second-ever clean sheet of the campaign.
While he once famously remarked that not even the Pope could force him to tweak his system, Amorim insists the ability to play with alternative formations has always been part of his long-term vision.
However, he stresses he could only make the switch when his team were faring sufficiently well - lest it would seem as if he was bowing to outside pressure.
"When I came here last season, I realized maybe I lacked the players to perform effectively in that system, but it was the start of a journey," he commented.
"We were trying to forge an identity. Today is a different juncture. We lack a lot of personnel, and we must adjust, so they understand the reason we are making changes.
"This isn't because of the influence of you guys, or the supporters.
"Whenever you discuss changing the formation all the time, I can't make a change because the players will understand I'm changing because of external voices and I believe that is the end for the manager.
"When we are playing well in our system, that is the right time to adapt.
"We will develop into a more complete team because when all the personnel return, we are not planning to play with three defenders in every match."
Availability Crisis Continue
With only two victories in their last eight outings prior to defeating Newcastle, it is arguable whether Amorim is right to claim his side have been playing well.
He is, nonetheless, operating with a injury-ravaged squad, with multiple senior players already unavailable for the forthcoming home game against struggling Wolves.
That figure will increase if playmaker Mason Mount is unable to recover the injury that led to his exit from the Newcastle game at half-time.
Captain Bruno Fernandes is one of those who will miss the Wolves clash, even though he is understood to be pushing his manager to allow him to make a comeback after his hamstring problem.
"Fernandes is already insisting he needs to train," said Amorim. "But there is no chance he is going to play against Wolves. Definitely not. That's definitive."
The Captain's Role Remains
However, the 31-year-old will likely continue to be deeply engaged, as while most unavailable players watch matches from a private box, Fernandes was spotted monitoring the pre-match routines from the mouth of the tunnel before the Newcastle game.
Amorim expects 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 not playing, he's not talking and offering advice. He's constantly speaking. That's why he's the skipper.
"He has negative aspects at times - his mannerisms he moves his arms - but he has a lot of good things. Even after he recovers, he goes to observe the other guys training. There are a lot of things you don't see.
"I'm not sure if he desires my position or not, but he's a leader. The guy is a leader."
Return Schedule for Key Personnel
Although the exact date for the captain's return - and that of fellow unavailable players like Kobbie Mainoo, Matthijs de Ligt, and Harry Maguire - remains unknown, by the end of January, United will see the return of Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo from international duty.
