Boss Ruben Amorim contends that altering Manchester United's tactical system due to media scrutiny would have signaled "the finish" for him.
In a first against Newcastle, Amorim ditched his customary three-at-the-back setup with wing-backs and chose to field an standard four-man defense with two holding midfielders.
By his own admission this ultimately transformed into a six-man defensive block in the final minutes as his team dug in for a crucial result - securing only their second clean sheet of the campaign.
While he once notably stated that even the highest authority could pressure him to change his system, Amorim maintains the capacity to play with varied formations has consistently been part of his strategy.
However, he stresses he could solely make the switch when his team were faring well enough - or else it would look as if he was bowing to external criticism.
"When I came here the previous campaign, I understood perhaps I lacked the players to excel in that system, but it was the commencement of a process," he stated.
"Our aim was to establish an philosophy. Now is a different juncture. We lack a lot of players, and we must adjust, so they see the reason we are switching things up.
"It is not because of the pressure of the media, or the supporters.
"When the press discuss altering the system all the time, I cannot make a change because the squad will believe I'm altering things because of external voices and I feel that is the end for the coach.
"Once we are getting results in our system, that becomes the right time to evolve.
"We are going to grow into a more complete squad because when all the players are available, we are not going to use a back three all the time."
Availability Challenges Persist
With just two wins in their last eight outings prior to beating Newcastle, it is arguable whether Amorim is right to state his team have been playing well.
He is, nonetheless, managing with a severely stretched squad, with multiple first-team stars already confirmed absent for the forthcoming home game against struggling Wolverhampton Wanderers.
That total will grow if midfielder Mason Mount is unable 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, despite the fact he is understood to be pushing his manager to let him to return after his hamstring injury.
"Bruno is already saying he has to train," said Amorim. "But there is no chance he is going to feature against Wolves. No way. You can quote me on that."
The Captain's Role Endures
Nevertheless, the 31-year-old will almost certainly continue to be a prominent presence, as while most unavailable stars view matches from a private box, Fernandes was observed monitoring the warm-ups from the entrance of the player's tunnel before the Newcastle game.
Amorim anticipates his captain to continue offering input.
"He is a natural leader," he affirmed. "He cannot be the type of player that when he is not playing, he's not talking and speaking. He's constantly speaking. That's why he's the captain.
"He has bad things at times - the way he moves his arms - but he has a lot of good things. Even after he recovers, he goes to watch the other guys training. There are a many aspects that go unnoticed.
"I don't know if he wants my position or not, but he's a leader. He is a leader."
Recovery Schedule for Injured Personnel
While the exact date for Fernandes' return - and that of fellow injured players like Kobbie Mainoo, Matthijs de Ligt, and Harry Maguire - is uncertain, by the end of January, United will welcome back Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo from continental duty.
