Manager Ruben Amorim argues that changing Man Utd's formation due to public noise would have signaled "the finish" for him.
In a first against Newcastle, Amorim moved away from his customary back three formation with wing-backs and chose to field an orthodox four-man defense with two central midfielders.
He himself conceded this effectively functioned as a six-man defensive block in the latter phase as his squad held on for a win - securing just their second shutout of the season.
Although he once famously said that not even the highest authority could compel him to change his system, Amorim asserts the ability to play with different setups has consistently been part of his plan.
However, he stresses he could only implement the change when his team were faring at an acceptable level - lest it would look as if he was giving in to external criticism.
"When I came here the previous campaign, I recognized maybe I lacked the players to perform effectively in a back three, but it was the commencement of a process," he said.
"We were trying to build an style. Today is a distinct time. We are missing a full complement of players, and we must be flexible, so they understand why we are changing.
"It is not because of the pressure of journalists, or the supporters.
"Whenever media criticize altering the formation repeatedly, I can't make a change because the squad will understand I'm changing because of you and I feel that is the downfall for the coach.
"When we are playing well in our preferred setup, that becomes the moment to adapt.
"We will become a stronger side because when our full complement of personnel are available, we are not going to play with three defenders all the time."
Injury Challenges Continue
Having only two wins in their last eight outings before beating Newcastle, it is questionable whether Amorim is correct to state his side have been in good form.
He is, though, operating with a severely stretched roster, with multiple first-team players already unavailable for the forthcoming fixture against struggling Wolverhampton Wanderers.
That number will increase if midfielder Mason Mount is unable to recover the knock that led to his withdrawal from the Newcastle game at half-time.
Captain Bruno Fernandes is a key name who will be absent for the Wolves clash, even though he is reportedly pushing his manager to let him to make a comeback following his hamstring problem.
"Bruno is already saying he needs to practice," revealed Amorim. "However there is absolutely no possibility he is going to feature against Wolves. Definitely not. You can quote me on that."
The Captain's Role Is Unwavering
However, the Portuguese star will likely continue to be a prominent presence, as while most unavailable players view matches from the stands, Fernandes was spotted monitoring the warm-ups from the mouth of the player's tunnel before the Newcastle game.
Amorim anticipates his captain to carry on offering insight.
"He is a leader," he stated. "He cannot be that guy that when he is not playing, he's not talking and offering advice. He's constantly speaking. That is the reason he's the skipper.
"There are bad things sometimes - his mannerisms he moves his arms - but he has a lot of good things. Even after he finishes treatment, he heads to observe the rest of the squad training. There are a many aspects that go unnoticed.
"I'm not sure if he desires my position or not, but he's a leader. He is a leader."
Return Timeline for Key Personnel
Although the specific date for Fernandes' comeback - and that of fellow injured players like Kobbie Mainoo, Matthijs de Ligt, and Harry Maguire - remains unknown, before the conclusion of January, United will welcome back Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo from continental competition.
