Head coach Ruben Amorim contends that altering Manchester United's formation due to public noise would have meant "his demise" for him.
In a first against Newcastle, Amorim ditched his usual three-at-the-back formation with wing-backs and opted to field an standard back four with two central midfielders.
Amorim acknowledged this at times transformed into a back six in the final phase as his squad held on for a win - securing only their second clean sheet of the campaign.
Although he once famously stated that even the Pope could pressure him to adjust his system, Amorim maintains the option to play with alternative setups has consistently been part of his strategy.
Nevertheless, he clarifies he could solely make the switch when his team were faring at an acceptable level - otherwise it would seem as if he was bowing to outside criticism.
"At the time I arrived here the previous campaign, I realized perhaps I lacked the squad to excel in that formation, but it was the start of a project," he stated.
"We were trying to establish an philosophy. Now is a distinct juncture. We lack a full complement of personnel, and we must be flexible, so they comprehend why we are changing.
"The change isn't because of the pressure of journalists, or the supporters.
"When the press discuss changing the formation repeatedly, I cannot change because the squad will believe I'm altering things because of external voices and I feel that is a disaster for the coach.
"Only when we are playing well in our preferred setup, then is the moment to evolve.
"We are going to develop into a stronger squad because when our full complement of players return, we are not going to play with three defenders exclusively."
Squad Crisis Persist
Having just two wins in their last eight outings before defeating Newcastle, it is arguable whether Amorim is correct to claim his side have been playing well.
He is, though, operating with a severely stretched squad, with multiple first-team stars already unavailable for the upcoming home game against struggling Wolves.
That figure will grow if midfielder Mason Mount fails to recover the injury that led to his withdrawal from the Newcastle game at the interval.
Captain Bruno Fernandes is among those who will be absent for the Wolves clash, even though he is understood to be pressing his manager to allow him to return following his hamstring problem.
"Bruno is already telling me he has to train," said Amorim. "But there is no chance he is going to feature against Wolves. No chance. You can quote me on that."
Fernandes' Role Endures
However, the 31-year-old will likely still be deeply engaged, as whereas most unavailable players view matches from a private box, Fernandes was seen monitoring the pre-match routines from the entrance of the tunnel before the Newcastle game.
Amorim anticipates his captain to continue providing insight.
"He is a natural leader," he stated. "He cannot be that guy that when he is absent, he's not talking and speaking. He's always speaking. That is the reason he's the captain.
"He has flaws sometimes - the way he moves his arms - but he has a multitude of good things. Even after he recovers, he heads to observe the other guys training. There are a lot of aspects that go unnoticed.
"I don't know if he wants my position or not, but he's a leader. The guy is a leader."
Return Schedule for Injured Personnel
While the exact date for Fernandes' return - and that of other injured stars like Kobbie Mainoo, Matthijs de Ligt, and Harry Maguire - remains uncertain, by the end of January, the club will welcome back Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo from international competition.
