Head coach Ruben Amorim argues that altering Manchester United's formation due to external scrutiny would have been "the finish" for him.
For the first time against Newcastle, Amorim abandoned his usual three-at-the-back formation with wing-backs and chose to field an traditional four-man defense with two holding midfielders.
Amorim acknowledged this effectively functioned as a back six in the final minutes as his side held on for a victory - securing just their second-ever shutout of the campaign.
Despite he once notably stated that not even the highest authority could force him to adjust his system, Amorim maintains the option to play with different formations has always been part of his strategy.
Yet, he clarifies he could only implement the change when his team were performing well enough - lest it would seem as if he was giving in to external noise.
"When I arrived here the previous campaign, I recognized maybe I lacked the personnel to perform effectively in a back three, but it was the beginning of a journey," he stated.
"The goal was to build an identity. Today is a separate juncture. We don't have a full complement of players, and we must adapt, so they comprehend the reason we are changing.
"It is not because of the pressure of the media, or the faithful.
"When the press talk about changing the formation all the time, I cannot make a change because the players will understand I'm altering things because of external voices and I think that is the end for the manager.
"Only when we are performing strongly in our preferred setup, that is the moment to evolve.
"This will help us develop into a more complete squad because when all the players are available, we are not planning to use three defenders all the time."
Squad Issues Persist
Having just two victories in their last eight outings prior to defeating Newcastle, it is questionable whether Amorim is right to state his team have been playing well.
He is, though, managing with a injury-ravaged squad, with multiple senior stars already confirmed absent for the upcoming fixture against winless Wolverhampton Wanderers.
That total will grow if midfielder Mason Mount is unable to recover the knock that led to his exit from the Newcastle game at the interval.
Captain Bruno Fernandes is among those who will be absent for the Wolves clash, despite the fact he is understood to be pushing his manager to let him to return after his muscle problem.
"Fernandes is already saying he has to train," said Amorim. "But there is absolutely no possibility he is going to play against Wolves. Definitely not. That's definitive."
The Captain's Leadership Endures
However, the 31-year-old will almost certainly continue to be deeply engaged, as while most unavailable stars watch matches from the stands, Fernandes was seen monitoring the pre-match routines from the entrance of the tunnel before the Newcastle game.
Amorim expects his leader to continue providing input.
"He is a natural leader," he declared. "He must not be the type of player that when he is absent, he's silent and speaking. He's always speaking. That is the reason he's the skipper.
"He has bad things at times - the way he gesticulates - but he has a lot of good things. Even after he finishes treatment, he heads to observe the other guys training. There are a many aspects you don't see.
"I'm not sure if he desires my position or not, but he's a leader. The guy is a leader."
Return Timeline for Injured Personnel
While the specific timeline for Fernandes' comeback - and that of other unavailable stars like Kobbie Mainoo, Matthijs de Ligt, and Harry Maguire - remains unknown, by the end of January, the club will welcome back Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo from continental competition.
