Boss Ruben Amorim contends that altering Man Utd's formation due to media noise would have been "the end" for him.
For the first time against Newcastle, Amorim moved away from his customary three-at-the-back setup with wing-backs and opted to use an standard four-man defense with two defensive midfielders.
Amorim acknowledged this effectively became a back six in the closing stages as his team held on for a crucial result - securing only their second-ever clean sheet of the campaign.
While he once memorably said that not even the Pope could compel him to change his system, Amorim insists the option to play with different formations has remained part of his plan.
Nevertheless, he clarifies he could only implement the change when his team were performing sufficiently well - otherwise it would appear as if he was succumbing to external pressure.
"At the time I came here the previous campaign, I realized perhaps I didn't possess the squad to excel in that system, but it was the start of a process," he stated.
"The goal was to build an identity. Currently is a different time. We don't have a full complement of personnel, and we need adjust, so they understand why we are switching things up.
"It is not because of the pressure of journalists, or the faithful.
"When media talk about altering the formation repeatedly, I can't make a change because the players will think I'm changing because of external voices and I feel that is a disaster for the manager.
"Once we are playing well in our preferred setup, that is the moment to evolve.
"We are going to become a more complete squad because when our full complement of players are back, we are not intending to employ a back three in every match."
Availability Issues Continue
Having just two wins in their last eight outings before beating Newcastle, it is questionable whether Amorim is right to state his side have been playing well.
He is, however, working with a injury-ravaged roster, with seven senior players already unavailable for the upcoming fixture against winless Wolves.
That total will grow if midfielder Mason Mount is unable to shake off the knock that led to his withdrawal from the Newcastle game at half-time.
Skipper Bruno Fernandes is one of those who will be absent for the Wolves match, despite the fact he is reportedly urging his boss to let him to make a comeback after his muscle problem.
"Bruno is already telling me he needs to train," revealed Amorim. "However there is no chance he is going to play against Wolves. No chance. You can quote me on that."
The Captain's Leadership Remains
Nevertheless, the 31-year-old will probably still be heavily involved, as whereas most unavailable players view matches from the stands, Fernandes was observed monitoring the pre-match routines from the mouth of the tunnel before the Newcastle game.
Amorim is sure his leader to carry on providing insight.
"The guy is a leader," he stated. "He must not be that guy that when he is absent, he's silent and speaking. He's constantly speaking. That's why he's the captain.
"There are bad things sometimes - the way he moves his arms - but he has a lot of good things. Even after he finishes treatment, he goes to watch the rest of the squad practicing. There are a lot of aspects you don't see.
"I'm not sure if he wants my job or not, but he's a born leader. The guy is a leader."
Recovery Timeline for Key Players
While the precise timeline for Fernandes' comeback - and that of fellow unavailable players like Kobbie Mainoo, Matthijs de Ligt, and Harry Maguire - remains unknown, before the conclusion of January, the club will welcome back Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo from continental duty.
