Manager Ruben Amorim says that changing Man Utd's formation due to media noise would have meant "his demise" for him.
In a first against Newcastle, Amorim moved away from his trademark three-at-the-back formation with wide defenders and chose to use an traditional back four with two central midfielders.
By his own admission this at times became a six-man defensive block in the closing minutes as his squad held on for a win - securing just their second-ever clean sheet of the campaign.
Although he once notably said that even the Pope could pressure him to change his approach, Amorim insists the option to experiment with different setups has remained part of his plan.
Yet, he emphasizes he could only make the switch when his team were doing at an acceptable level - or else it would seem as if he was succumbing to outside pressure.
"At the time I arrived here last season, I understood perhaps I didn't possess the squad to excel in that formation, but it was the commencement of a journey," he said.
"We were trying to build an style. Today is a separate moment. We lack a lot of personnel, and we need adjust, so they see the reason we are changing.
"The change isn't because of the pressure of the media, or the faithful.
"When the press talk about changing the formation constantly, I cannot make a change because the players will believe I'm altering things because of you and I believe that is a disaster for the manager.
"Only when we are playing well in our preferred setup, then is the right time to change.
"We are going to become a more complete team because when our full complement of personnel are available, we are not planning to employ a back three all the time."
Availability Issues Loom Large
With only two wins in eight games prior to beating Newcastle, it is questionable whether Amorim is right to claim his team have been in good form.
He is, nonetheless, operating with a severely stretched roster, with multiple senior stars already unavailable for the upcoming fixture against winless Wolves.
That number will increase if playmaker Mason Mount fails to recover the knock that forced his withdrawal from the Newcastle game at the interval.
Skipper Bruno Fernandes is among those who will miss the Wolves match, despite the fact he is understood to be pressing his boss to let him to return following his hamstring problem.
"Fernandes is already insisting he needs to train," said Amorim. "But there is no chance he is going to feature against Wolves. No way. That's definitive."
The Captain's Role Is Unwavering
However, the 31-year-old will almost certainly still be deeply engaged, as whereas most unavailable players watch matches from a private box, Fernandes was observed monitoring the pre-match routines from the mouth of the player's tunnel before the Newcastle game.
Amorim anticipates his captain to carry on providing guidance.
"The guy is a leader," he affirmed. "He must not be that guy that when he is not playing, he's silent and speaking. He's constantly vocal. That is the reason he's the captain.
"There are bad things at times - the way he gesticulates - but he has a lot of good things. After he recovers, he heads to observe the other guys practicing. There are a many things that go unnoticed.
"I don't know if he desires my position or not, but he's a leader. The guy is a true captain."
Recovery Schedule for Injured Players
While the specific timeline for the captain's comeback - and that of other injured players like Kobbie Mainoo, Matthijs de Ligt, and Harry Maguire - remains unknown, before the conclusion of January, the club will welcome back Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo from international competition.
