Boss Ruben Amorim says that changing Manchester United's formation due to external pressure would have signaled "his demise" for him.
In a first against Newcastle United, Amorim moved away from his customary back three setup with wing-backs and instead use an standard four-man defense shielded by two central midfielders.
He himself conceded this ultimately functioned as a back six in the latter phase as his squad held on for a win - securing just their second clean sheet of the season.
Despite he once notably remarked that not even the Pope could pressure him to tweak his approach, Amorim insists the option to experiment with different formations has always been part of his strategy.
Nevertheless, he emphasizes he could solely alter the tactics when his team were doing sufficiently well - otherwise it would appear as if he was bowing to outside noise.
"At the time I came here the previous campaign, I understood perhaps I don't have the personnel to play well in that formation, but it was the commencement of a journey," he commented.
"The goal was to establish an identity. Now is a separate moment. We are missing a full complement of personnel, and we need adjust, so they comprehend the reason we are switching things up.
"This isn't because of the influence of journalists, or the fans.
"Whenever media talk about altering the formation all the time, I cannot change because the players will understand I'm changing because of external voices and I think that is a disaster for the coach.
"Only when we are playing well in our system, that is the moment to change.
"We will become a stronger side because when our full complement of players return, we are not intending to play with a back three exclusively."
Squad Issues Persist
Having just two wins in eight games before beating Newcastle, it is arguable whether Amorim is accurate to state his team have been in good form.
He is, however, working with a injury-ravaged roster, with multiple senior stars already confirmed absent for the upcoming home game against struggling Wolves.
That figure will rise if playmaker Mason Mount fails to recover the injury that led to his withdrawal from the Newcastle game at the interval.
Captain Bruno Fernandes is a key name who will miss the Wolves match, even though he is understood to be pressing his manager to allow him to return following his hamstring problem.
"Fernandes is already telling me he has to practice," revealed Amorim. "However there is absolutely no possibility he is going to feature against Wolves. Definitely not. That's definitive."
Fernandes' Leadership Is Unwavering
Nevertheless, the Portuguese star will probably still be a prominent presence, as while most unavailable stars watch matches from the stands, Fernandes was observed keeping a close eye on the pre-match routines from the entrance of the player's tunnel before the Newcastle game.
Amorim anticipates his captain to continue offering input.
"The guy is a leader," he stated. "He cannot be the type of player that when he is absent, he's not talking and offering advice. He's constantly communicating. That's why he's the captain.
"He has bad things sometimes - the way he moves his arms - but he has a multitude of good things. After he finishes treatment, he heads to observe the other guys practicing. There are a many aspects that go unnoticed.
"I'm not sure if he desires my job or not, but he's a born leader. The guy is a true captain."
Recovery Timeline for Injured Players
Although the precise timeline for Fernandes' return - and that of fellow injured players like Kobbie Mainoo, Matthijs de Ligt, and Harry Maguire - is unclear, before the conclusion of January, United will welcome back Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo from international duty.
