Manager Ruben Amorim contends that switching Manchester United's formation due to media pressure would have been "the end" for him.
Initially against Newcastle, Amorim moved away from his usual back three setup with wing-backs and chose to use an standard back four with two central midfielders.
Amorim acknowledged this at times became a back six in the latter phase as his side dug in for a win - securing only their second-ever clean sheet of the campaign.
Despite he once memorably stated that even the Pope could force him to tweak his system, Amorim asserts the ability to experiment with different formations has remained part of his strategy.
Nevertheless, he emphasizes he could only alter the tactics when his team were doing well enough - otherwise it would look as if he was bowing to external pressure.
"When I arrived here the previous campaign, I understood maybe I don't have the squad to perform effectively in a back three, but it was the commencement of a journey," he said.
"The goal was to build an style. Now is a different juncture. We lack a full complement of players, and we must be flexible, so they see the reason we are changing.
"It is not because of the pressure of you guys, or the fans.
"When you discuss changing the formation all the time, I can't change because the players will think I'm changing because of external voices and I think that is a disaster for the manager.
"Only when we are performing strongly in our preferred setup, that is the opportunity to change.
"This will help us develop into a more complete side because when all the players return, we are not planning to employ three defenders all the time."
Availability Crisis Loom Large
Having just two victories in their last eight outings before beating Newcastle, it is debatable whether Amorim is correct to state his side have been playing well.
He is, though, working with a depleted roster, with seven senior players already unavailable for the forthcoming fixture against struggling Wolves.
That number will increase if playmaker Mason Mount is unable to recover the knock that forced his withdrawal from the Newcastle game at the interval.
Captain Bruno Fernandes is a key name who will be absent for the Wolves match, despite the fact he is reportedly pushing his boss to let him to make a comeback after his muscle problem.
"Fernandes is already saying he has to practice," revealed Amorim. "But there is no chance he is going to play against Wolves. No chance. You can write that."
Fernandes' Role Endures
Nevertheless, the Portuguese star will likely continue to be heavily involved, as while most unavailable 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 expects his leader to continue providing input.
"The guy is a natural leader," he affirmed. "He must not be the type of player that when he is not playing, he's not talking and speaking. He's constantly communicating. That is the reason he's the captain.
"There are flaws at times - his mannerisms he gesticulates - but he has a multitude of positive qualities. After he recovers, he goes to watch the rest of the squad practicing. There are a many aspects that go unnoticed.
"I'm not sure if he wants my position or not, but he's a leader. He is a true captain."
Return Timeline for Key Personnel
While the exact timeline for the captain's return - and that of fellow unavailable players like Kobbie Mainoo, Matthijs de Ligt, and Harry Maguire - is uncertain, before the conclusion of January, United will welcome back Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo from continental duty.
