Boss Ruben Amorim argues that switching Manchester United's formation due to external noise would have been "the end" for him.
In a first against Newcastle, Amorim moved away from his usual back three formation with wing-backs and chose to use an orthodox back four with two central midfielders.
He himself conceded this effectively functioned as a back six in the closing stages as his team clung on for a win - securing just their second-ever shutout of the season.
While he once memorably stated that not even the highest authority could compel him to change his approach, Amorim insists the capacity to utilize varied formations has consistently been part of his strategy.
Yet, he emphasizes he could solely make the switch when his team were performing sufficiently well - otherwise it would seem as if he was bowing to outside criticism.
"When I arrived here the previous campaign, I realized maybe I didn't possess the squad to excel in that formation, but it was the commencement of a journey," he stated.
"We were trying to build an philosophy. Today is a separate moment. We lack a full complement of players, and we have to adjust, so they see why we are making changes.
"It is not because of the pressure of journalists, or the fans.
"When you talk about altering 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 coach.
"Once we are performing strongly in our preferred setup, that becomes the right time to evolve.
"This will help us develop into a more complete squad because when our full complement of players are back, we are not planning to play with a back three all the time."
Injury Crisis Loom Large
With only two wins in eight games prior to defeating Newcastle, it is questionable whether Amorim is correct to state his team have been in good form.
He is, nonetheless, operating with a severely stretched squad, with multiple senior stars already ruled out for the upcoming home game against struggling Wolverhampton Wanderers.
That number will rise if playmaker Mason Mount fails to recover the knock that forced his withdrawal from the Newcastle game at the interval.
Skipper Bruno Fernandes is among those who will miss the Wolves clash, despite the fact he is reportedly urging his manager to allow him to return following his hamstring injury.
"Bruno is already insisting he needs to practice," said Amorim. "However there is no chance he is going to feature against Wolves. Definitely not. You can write that."
Fernandes' Influence Endures
However, the Portuguese star will probably still be heavily involved, as while most injured players view matches from the stands, Fernandes was observed monitoring the pre-match routines from the entrance of the player's tunnel before the Newcastle game.
Amorim is sure his leader to continue providing insight.
"The guy is a natural leader," he affirmed. "He cannot be the type of player that when he is not playing, he's not talking and offering advice. He's constantly communicating. That is the reason he's the skipper.
"He has negative aspects sometimes - his mannerisms he moves his arms - but he has a lot of good things. Even after he recovers, he goes to observe the other guys practicing. There are a lot of things that go unnoticed.
"I don't know if he wants my job or not, but he's a leader. The guy is a leader."
Return Schedule for Injured Personnel
While the exact timeline for Fernandes' comeback - and that of fellow injured stars 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 international duty.
