Manager Ruben Amorim says that changing Manchester United's tactical system due to public pressure would have been "the end" for him.
Initially against Newcastle, Amorim moved away from his trademark back three formation with wide defenders and chose to deploy an standard four-man defense with two holding midfielders.
Amorim acknowledged this ultimately became a six-man defensive block in the closing phase as his team held on for a crucial result - securing just their second-ever clean sheet of the campaign.
While he once memorably said that not even the highest authority could pressure him to tweak his approach, Amorim insists the option to experiment with different setups has remained part of his strategy.
Yet, he stresses he could only implement the change when his team were faring at an acceptable level - lest it would seem as if he was giving in to outside criticism.
"When I arrived here last season, I recognized perhaps I don't have the personnel to play well in a back three, but it was the beginning of a project," he commented.
"We were trying to build an philosophy. Currently is a different moment. We don't have a full complement of players, and we need adapt, so they understand the reason we are switching things up.
"The change isn't because of the influence of you guys, or the fans.
"When media discuss changing the system constantly, I cannot change because the players will think I'm changing because of you and I feel that is a disaster for the manager.
"Once we are playing well in our preferred setup, that is the right time to adapt.
"We will develop into a better side because when our full complement of players are available, we are not planning to employ three defenders all the time."
Injury Challenges Persist
With just two victories in their last eight outings prior to defeating Newcastle, it is arguable whether Amorim is right to state his team have been playing well.
He is, nonetheless, working with a severely stretched roster, with seven senior stars already ruled out for the upcoming fixture against winless Wolves.
That number will grow if midfielder Mason Mount fails to recover the knock that led to his withdrawal from the Newcastle game at the interval.
Captain Bruno Fernandes is a key name who will be absent for the Wolves match, even though he is reportedly pushing his boss to let him to make a comeback after his muscle problem.
"Bruno is already telling me he has to practice," revealed Amorim. "However there is no chance he is going to feature against Wolves. No way. You can quote me on that."
The Captain's Influence Remains
However, the 31-year-old will almost certainly still be deeply engaged, as whereas most unavailable players watch matches from the stands, Fernandes was spotted monitoring the pre-match routines from the mouth of the player's tunnel before the Newcastle game.
Amorim is sure his captain to continue providing guidance.
"He is a leader," he affirmed. "He cannot be that guy that when he is not playing, he's not talking and offering advice. He's always communicating. That is the reason he's the captain.
"There are flaws at times - his mannerisms he moves his arms - but he has a multitude of strengths. After he recovers, he heads to watch the rest of the squad practicing. There are a lot of things that go unnoticed.
"I'm not sure if he wants my job or not, but he's a born leader. The guy is a leader."
Return Timeline for Key Players
Although the precise timeline for Fernandes' comeback - and that of other unavailable players like Kobbie Mainoo, Matthijs de Ligt, and Harry Maguire - is unclear, before the conclusion of January, the club will see the return of Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo from continental duty.