Boss Ruben Amorim argues that changing Manchester United's formation due to external noise would have signaled "the finish" for him.
Initially against Newcastle United, Amorim ditched his usual three-at-the-back formation with wing-backs and opted to deploy an traditional back four shielded by two holding midfielders.
He himself conceded this at times became a back six in the latter minutes as his side dug in for a victory - securing only their second clean sheet of the campaign.
Although he once memorably remarked that not even the Pope could pressure him to change his approach, Amorim insists the capacity to play with varied setups has always been part of his long-term vision.
Nevertheless, he stresses he could only alter the tactics when his team were doing sufficiently well - lest it would seem as if he was bowing to external noise.
"At the time I came here the previous campaign, I recognized maybe I lacked the players to perform effectively in that system, but it was the commencement of a process," he stated.
"Our aim was to build an identity. Currently is a different moment. We don't have a lot of players, and we must adapt, so they understand the reason we are making changes.
"It is not because of the pressure of the media, or the faithful.
"Whenever you talk about changing the system constantly, I cannot change because the squad will believe I'm changing because of you and I feel that is the downfall for the manager.
"When we are performing strongly in our system, then is the right time to evolve.
"We will develop into a better squad because when all the players return, we are not planning to use a back three all the time."
Squad Challenges Continue
Having just two wins in their last eight outings before beating Newcastle, it is questionable whether Amorim is right to say his team have been playing well.
He is, however, operating with a injury-ravaged roster, with multiple senior players already confirmed absent for the forthcoming home game against struggling Wolves.
That number will rise if midfielder Mason Mount fails to recover the injury that forced his withdrawal from the Newcastle game at the interval.
Skipper Bruno Fernandes is a key name who will be absent for the Wolves clash, despite the fact he is understood to be pressing his manager to allow him to make a comeback after his muscle injury.
"Bruno is already saying he needs to practice," revealed Amorim. "However there is absolutely no possibility he is going to feature against Wolves. No chance. You can write that."
The Captain's Influence Endures
Nevertheless, the 31-year-old will almost certainly continue to be heavily involved, as while most unavailable players view matches from the stands, Fernandes was spotted monitoring the warm-ups from the mouth of the tunnel before the Newcastle game.
Amorim anticipates his captain to carry on offering input.
"He is a leader," he stated. "He must not be the type of player that when he is absent, he's not talking and speaking. He's constantly communicating. That is the reason he's the captain.
"There are bad things sometimes - the way he moves his arms - but he has a lot of strengths. Even after he finishes treatment, he heads to watch the other guys practicing. There are a lot of aspects that go unnoticed.
"I don't know if he wants my job or not, but he's a leader. He is a leader."
Return Timeline for Injured Players
While the precise date for the captain's return - and that of fellow unavailable stars like Kobbie Mainoo, Matthijs de Ligt, and Harry Maguire - remains uncertain, by the end of January, United will welcome back Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo from continental duty.
