Manager Ruben Amorim argues that changing Man Utd's formation due to public pressure would have meant "his demise" for him.
Initially against Newcastle, Amorim ditched his trademark back three formation with wide defenders and chose to use an standard four-man defense shielded by two holding midfielders.
He himself conceded this effectively became a six-man defensive block in the final minutes as his side clung on for a crucial result - securing only their second clean sheet of the campaign.
Although he once memorably stated that not even the highest authority could force him to tweak his system, Amorim maintains the capacity to play with varied formations has always been part of his strategy.
However, he clarifies he could solely alter the tactics when his team were faring well enough - lest it would look as if he was succumbing to outside pressure.
"When I arrived here the previous campaign, I recognized perhaps I don't have the players to perform effectively in that system, but it was the beginning of a project," he stated.
"We were trying to establish an philosophy. Today is a distinct juncture. We are missing a full complement of personnel, and we need be flexible, so they see the reason we are changing.
"This isn't because of the demands of journalists, or the faithful.
"Whenever you criticize altering the formation all the time, I cannot make a change because the squad will understand I'm changing because of external voices and I feel that is a disaster for the manager.
"Only when we are playing well in our system, then is the moment to evolve.
"This will help us grow into a stronger squad because when all the players return, we are not planning to employ three defenders all the time."
Squad Issues Persist
With only two wins in their last eight outings prior to beating Newcastle, it is debatable whether Amorim is right to claim his side have been playing well.
He is, however, operating with a severely stretched squad, with seven senior players already unavailable for the upcoming home game against winless Wolves.
That total will rise if midfielder Mason Mount is unable to recover the knock that forced his exit from the Newcastle game at the interval.
Captain Bruno Fernandes is among those who will be absent for the Wolves match, despite the fact he is reportedly pushing his manager to let him to make a comeback after his hamstring injury.
"Bruno is already telling me he needs to practice," said Amorim. "But there is no chance he is going to feature against Wolves. No way. You can write that."
Fernandes' Influence Endures
However, the 31-year-old will likely continue to be heavily involved, as while most unavailable stars watch matches from the stands, Fernandes was spotted keeping a close eye on the pre-match routines from the entrance of the player's tunnel before the Newcastle game.
Amorim anticipates his leader to carry on providing guidance.
"He 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 constantly vocal. That is the reason he's the skipper.
"There are negative aspects sometimes - his mannerisms he moves his arms - but he has a lot of strengths. After he recovers, he heads to observe the other guys practicing. There are a lot of aspects that go unnoticed.
"I don't know if he desires my position or not, but he's a leader. The guy is a leader."
Recovery Timeline for Key Personnel
Although the specific timeline for Fernandes' comeback - and that of fellow injured stars like Kobbie Mainoo, Matthijs de Ligt, and Harry Maguire - is unclear, before the conclusion of January, the club will welcome back Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo from continental competition.
