Time is ripe to switch Manchester United's formation - Amorim insists.
Head coach Ruben Amorim argues that switching Manchester United's tactical system due to public pressure would have signaled "the finish" for him.
In a first against Newcastle, Amorim ditched his customary three-at-the-back formation with wing-backs and chose to field an standard four-man defense shielded by two central midfielders.
He himself conceded this effectively transformed into a back six in the latter phase as his team dug in for a crucial result - securing just their second clean sheet of the campaign.
Although he once notably said that even the Pope could force him to change his system, Amorim insists the capacity to experiment with varied setups has always been part of his plan.
Nevertheless, he stresses he could solely implement the change when his team were doing at an acceptable level - otherwise it would appear as if he was succumbing to external pressure.
"At the time I came here last season, I recognized maybe I lacked the players to play well in that formation, but it was the commencement of a journey," he said.
"The goal was to build an style. Today is a different moment. We are missing a lot of players, and we need be flexible, so they comprehend the reason we are changing.
"It is not because of the demands of the media, or the fans.
"When media criticize altering the formation constantly, I cannot change because the players will think I'm changing because of external voices and I feel that is the downfall for the manager.
"Once we are performing strongly in our system, that becomes the moment to adapt.
"We will grow into a stronger side because when our full complement of personnel return, we are not intending to employ a back three exclusively."
Availability Issues Continue
Having only two wins in eight games before beating Newcastle, it is arguable whether Amorim is accurate to claim his side have been playing well.
He is, nonetheless, managing with a severely stretched squad, with multiple first-team players already unavailable for the upcoming fixture against struggling Wolves.
That figure will rise if midfielder Mason Mount fails to recover the injury that forced his withdrawal from the Newcastle game at the interval.
Skipper Bruno Fernandes is one of those who will be absent for the Wolves clash, despite the fact he is reportedly pushing his boss to let him to make a comeback after his hamstring problem.
"Fernandes is already telling me he needs to train," said Amorim. "However there is absolutely no possibility he is going to play against Wolves. No chance. You can quote me on that."
The Captain's Leadership Endures
Nevertheless, the 31-year-old will likely still be deeply engaged, as whereas most unavailable players view matches from the stands, Fernandes was observed monitoring the pre-match routines from the entrance of the tunnel before the Newcastle game.
Amorim anticipates his captain to carry on providing insight.
"The guy is a leader," he declared. "He must not be the type of player that when he is absent, he's not talking and speaking. He's constantly speaking. That is the reason he's the skipper.
"He has negative aspects sometimes - his mannerisms he gesticulates - but he has a lot of positive qualities. After he recovers, he goes to observe the rest of the squad practicing. There are a many things that go unnoticed.
"I don't know if he wants my job or not, but he's a born leader. The guy is a true captain."
Return Schedule for Injured Personnel
Although the exact date for Fernandes' comeback - and that of fellow unavailable stars like Kobbie Mainoo, Matthijs de Ligt, and Harry Maguire - is unknown, before the conclusion of January, United will see the return of Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo from continental competition.