Boss Ruben Amorim contends that changing Man Utd's formation due to external noise would have signaled "the finish" for him.
In a first against Newcastle, Amorim moved away from his trademark three-at-the-back setup with wide defenders and chose to deploy an standard back four with two defensive midfielders.
By his own admission this ultimately transformed into a six-man defensive block in the latter stages as his side held on for a win - securing only their second-ever clean sheet of the campaign.
Although he once memorably remarked that not even the Pope could pressure him to tweak his approach, Amorim maintains the option to utilize different setups has always been part of his plan.
However, he stresses he could only alter the tactics when his team were doing at an acceptable level - or else it would seem as if he was bowing to outside criticism.
"At the time I came here last season, I recognized perhaps I lacked the personnel to play well in that system, but it was the start of a project," he commented.
"Our aim was to forge an philosophy. Currently is a distinct moment. We are missing a lot of players, and we have to adjust, so they understand why we are switching things up.
"The change isn't because of the demands of the media, or the faithful.
"Whenever media talk about altering the system all the time, I can't change because the squad will believe I'm changing because of external voices and I believe that is a disaster for the coach.
"Only when we are getting results in our system, then is the opportunity to evolve.
"We are going to develop into a better squad because when all the players are back, we are not going to play with a back three all the time."
Availability Issues Persist
With just two victories in eight games before beating Newcastle, it is questionable whether Amorim is accurate to claim his side have been in good form.
He is, nonetheless, managing with a injury-ravaged roster, with seven senior players already confirmed absent for the upcoming home game against winless Wolves.
That number will rise if playmaker Mason Mount fails to recover the injury that forced his exit from the Newcastle game at half-time.
Captain Bruno Fernandes is a key name who will miss the Wolves match, despite the fact he is understood to be pressing his manager to allow him to make a comeback after his hamstring injury.
"Fernandes is already telling me he has to practice," said Amorim. "But there is no chance he is going to play against Wolves. No way. You can quote me on that."
Fernandes' Influence Remains
Nevertheless, the Portuguese star will probably still be deeply engaged, as whereas most injured stars watch matches from the stands, Fernandes was seen keeping a close eye on the warm-ups from the mouth of the tunnel before the Newcastle game.
Amorim anticipates his captain to continue providing insight.
"The guy is a natural leader," he affirmed. "He must not be that guy that when he is not playing, he's not talking and offering advice. He's constantly vocal. That is the reason he's the skipper.
"There are negative aspects sometimes - the way he moves his arms - but he has a lot of strengths. After he recovers, he heads to observe the rest of the squad training. There are a lot of things that go unnoticed.
"I don't know if he wants my position or not, but he's a born leader. He is a true captain."
Recovery Schedule for Key Personnel
While the exact timeline for Fernandes' comeback - and that of other injured players like Kobbie Mainoo, Matthijs de Ligt, and Harry Maguire - remains unknown, by the end of January, the club will welcome back Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo from international duty.
