Boss Ruben Amorim argues that altering Manchester United's tactical system due to public pressure would have signaled "his demise" for him.
For the first time against Newcastle, Amorim moved away from his trademark back three formation with wing-backs and instead deploy an orthodox four-man defense with two central midfielders.
By his own admission this ultimately transformed into a back six in the final stages as his squad clung on for a win - securing only their second-ever shutout of the campaign.
Despite he once memorably remarked that not even the Pope could force him to tweak his approach, Amorim maintains the ability to utilize different setups has remained part of his strategy.
However, he stresses he could solely make the switch when his team were performing sufficiently well - otherwise it would seem as if he was succumbing to external pressure.
"At the time I arrived here last season, I realized maybe I lacked the personnel to perform effectively in that formation, but it was the beginning of a process," he said.
"Our aim was to establish an style. Today is a separate moment. We lack a lot of players, and we need adjust, so they comprehend the reason we are switching things up.
"It is not because of the pressure of the media, or the faithful.
"Whenever media talk about altering the formation repeatedly, I can't change because the players will understand I'm altering things because of you and I believe that is a disaster for the coach.
"Only when we are performing strongly in our preferred setup, that becomes the opportunity to adapt.
"We will develop into a more complete squad because when our full complement of personnel are back, we are not going to use three defenders all the time."
Squad Challenges Persist
With just two wins in their last eight outings before beating Newcastle, it is questionable whether Amorim is correct to say his side have been in good form.
He is, nonetheless, working with a injury-ravaged roster, with multiple senior stars already unavailable for the forthcoming home game against winless Wolverhampton Wanderers.
That number will increase if midfielder Mason Mount fails to recover the injury that forced his withdrawal from the Newcastle game at half-time.
Captain Bruno Fernandes is among those who will miss the Wolves match, even though he is understood to be pressing his manager to allow him to return following his hamstring problem.
"Fernandes is already insisting he needs to train," revealed Amorim. "But there is no chance he is going to feature against Wolves. No chance. You can write that."
Fernandes' Leadership Endures
Nevertheless, the 31-year-old will probably still be deeply engaged, as whereas most injured stars view matches from the stands, Fernandes was observed monitoring the warm-ups from the entrance of the tunnel before the Newcastle game.
Amorim is sure his leader to carry on offering insight.
"The guy is a natural leader," he declared. "He cannot be the type of player that when he is not playing, he's silent and speaking. He's always speaking. That is the reason he's the captain.
"There are flaws sometimes - the way he gesticulates - but he has a lot of good things. Even after he finishes treatment, he heads to observe the other guys training. There are a many aspects that go unnoticed.
"I don't know if he desires my job or not, but he's a born leader. He is a leader."
Return Timeline for Injured Personnel
While the precise timeline for Fernandes' comeback - and that of fellow unavailable stars 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 competition.
