Head coach Ruben Amorim argues that altering Man Utd's tactical system due to media noise would have signaled "his demise" for him.
For the first time against Newcastle, Amorim ditched his usual back three setup with wide defenders and opted to deploy an orthodox four-man defense with two defensive midfielders.
Amorim acknowledged this effectively functioned as a six-man defensive block in the latter minutes as his side held on for a win - securing only their second shutout of the campaign.
While he once famously said that not even the Pope could force him to tweak his system, Amorim maintains the ability to play with varied setups has remained part of his plan.
Nevertheless, he stresses he could solely alter the tactics when his team were doing well enough - lest it would seem as if he was giving in to external noise.
"At the time I arrived here last season, I understood maybe I don't have the players to play well in that system, but it was the start of a process," he stated.
"The goal was to establish an style. Now is a separate time. We are missing a lot of players, and we must adjust, so they see the reason we are making changes.
"It is not because of the pressure of journalists, or the supporters.
"Whenever the press talk about changing the system constantly, I can't change because the squad will believe I'm changing because of you and I believe that is the downfall for the coach.
"When we are getting results in our preferred setup, then is the right time to adapt.
"This will help us become a stronger team because when all the personnel are available, we are not planning to employ three defenders all the time."
Squad Crisis Loom Large
Having just two victories in their last eight outings before beating Newcastle, it is debatable whether Amorim is right to say his team have been in good form.
He is, however, working with a severely stretched squad, with seven senior stars already unavailable for the forthcoming home game against winless Wolves.
That number will increase if midfielder Mason Mount fails to recover the injury 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 clash, despite the fact he is understood to be pushing his manager to allow him to make a comeback after his muscle problem.
"Fernandes is already insisting he has to practice," said Amorim. "But there is absolutely no possibility he is going to play against Wolves. No way. You can quote me on that."
Fernandes' Role Endures
However, the Portuguese star will almost certainly still be heavily involved, as whereas most unavailable stars watch matches from the stands, Fernandes was spotted monitoring the pre-match routines from the mouth of the player's tunnel before the Newcastle game.
Amorim is sure his captain to continue providing guidance.
"He is a leader," he affirmed. "He cannot be the type of player that when he is absent, he's not talking and offering advice. He's constantly speaking. That is the reason he's the captain.
"There are bad things at times - the way he moves his arms - but he has a multitude of good things. Even after he recovers, he heads to watch the rest of the squad training. There are a many things that go unnoticed.
"I don't know if he wants my position or not, but he's a born leader. He is a leader."
Recovery Timeline for Injured Players
Although the exact date for the captain's comeback - and that of fellow injured stars like Kobbie Mainoo, Matthijs de Ligt, and Harry Maguire - is unclear, by the end of January, United will welcome back Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo from continental competition.
