Boss Ruben Amorim says that altering Manchester United's formation due to external noise would have signaled "his demise" for him.
In a first against Newcastle, Amorim abandoned his customary three-at-the-back setup with wing-backs and instead use an orthodox back four with two defensive midfielders.
He himself conceded this effectively transformed into a back six in the final phase as his team clung on for a crucial result - securing only their second-ever clean sheet of the season.
Despite he once notably said that even the highest authority could pressure him to tweak his system, Amorim insists the capacity to experiment with varied setups has consistently been part of his long-term vision.
Nevertheless, he emphasizes he could solely alter the tactics when his team were faring sufficiently well - lest it would seem as if he was succumbing to external pressure.
"When I arrived here last season, I realized perhaps I didn't possess the squad to excel in that formation, but it was the commencement of a journey," he stated.
"The goal was to establish an style. Currently is a distinct time. We are missing a lot of personnel, and we need adjust, so they comprehend the reason we are changing.
"The change isn't because of the influence of you guys, or the faithful.
"Whenever you discuss altering the system all the time, I can't make a change because the players will think I'm altering things because of you and I believe that is a disaster for the manager.
"Once we are playing well in our system, that becomes the moment to change.
"We will become a stronger squad because when our full complement of players are back, we are not going to employ three defenders all the time."
Availability Challenges Persist
With only two victories in eight games prior to defeating Newcastle, it is questionable whether Amorim is right to claim his side have been playing well.
He is, though, working with a depleted roster, with seven senior stars already unavailable for the forthcoming fixture against winless Wolverhampton Wanderers.
That number will rise if midfielder Mason Mount is unable to recover the injury that forced his withdrawal 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 let him to return following his hamstring injury.
"Bruno is already saying he needs to train," said Amorim. "But there is no chance 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 still be heavily involved, as whereas most unavailable stars view matches from a private box, Fernandes was spotted monitoring the warm-ups from the mouth of the player's tunnel before the Newcastle game.
Amorim is sure his leader to carry on offering insight.
"The guy is a natural leader," he stated. "He cannot be the type of player that when he is not playing, he's not talking and offering advice. He's constantly speaking. That is the reason he's the skipper.
"There are bad things sometimes - his mannerisms he gesticulates - but he has a multitude of good things. After he finishes treatment, he goes 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 job or not, but he's a born leader. The guy is a leader."
Return Schedule for Injured Players
While the exact date for the captain's return - and that of other injured players like Kobbie Mainoo, Matthijs de Ligt, and Harry Maguire - remains unclear, by the end of January, United will welcome back Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo from continental duty.
