Manager Ruben Amorim contends that altering Man Utd's formation due to public noise would have been "the finish" for him.
For the first time against Newcastle United, Amorim ditched his customary back three setup with wide defenders and instead field an standard four-man defense shielded by two central midfielders.
Amorim acknowledged this effectively transformed into a back six in the closing stages as his team dug in for a victory - securing just their second clean sheet of the campaign.
Although he once famously said that even the Pope could compel him to tweak his system, Amorim maintains the option to utilize varied setups has always been part of his strategy.
However, he clarifies he could only alter the tactics when his team were doing sufficiently well - otherwise it would seem as if he was giving in to outside criticism.
"When I arrived here last season, I recognized maybe I lacked the squad to excel in that formation, but it was the beginning of a journey," he stated.
"We were trying to build an style. Currently is a separate moment. We are missing a lot of players, and we need adapt, so they understand the reason we are switching things up.
"The change isn't because of the pressure of journalists, or the supporters.
"When you criticize altering the formation repeatedly, I can't change because the players will believe I'm altering things because of you and I think that is the downfall for the coach.
"Once we are performing strongly in our preferred setup, that is the moment to adapt.
"This will help us grow into a better squad because when our full complement of personnel are back, we are not going to use three defenders all the time."
Squad Crisis Loom Large
With just two wins in eight games before beating Newcastle, it is questionable whether Amorim is correct to state his side have been in good form.
He is, nonetheless, operating with a severely stretched squad, with seven senior stars already ruled out for the upcoming fixture against struggling Wolves.
That figure will rise if playmaker Mason Mount fails to shake off the injury that forced his exit from the Newcastle game at the interval.
Captain Bruno Fernandes is one of those who will be absent for the Wolves match, even though he is reportedly pushing his boss to let him to return following his muscle injury.
"Bruno is already telling me he has to practice," said Amorim. "However there is absolutely no possibility he is going to feature against Wolves. No way. You can write that."
The Captain's Leadership Endures
Nevertheless, the 31-year-old will probably continue to be a prominent presence, as while most unavailable players view matches from a private box, Fernandes was seen monitoring the warm-ups from the mouth of the player's tunnel before the Newcastle game.
Amorim anticipates his captain to carry on providing guidance.
"The guy is a natural leader," he affirmed. "He cannot be that guy 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 bad things at times - his mannerisms he gesticulates - but he has a lot of good things. Even after he finishes treatment, he heads to observe the rest of the squad practicing. There are a lot of things that go unnoticed.
"I'm not sure if he desires my position or not, but he's a born leader. The guy is a leader."
Recovery Schedule for Injured Personnel
While the specific timeline for the captain's return - and that of fellow injured stars like Kobbie Mainoo, Matthijs de Ligt, and Harry Maguire - is uncertain, before the conclusion of January, the club will see the return of Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo from international duty.
