Boss Ruben Amorim says that altering Man Utd's formation due to public noise would have signaled "the end" for him.
Initially against Newcastle, Amorim abandoned his customary three-at-the-back setup with wide defenders and chose to field an orthodox back four shielded by two holding midfielders.
By his own admission this at times functioned as a back six in the latter phase as his squad held on for a victory - securing just their second-ever shutout of the campaign.
Although he once memorably stated that not even the highest authority could pressure him to change his system, Amorim maintains the option to experiment with varied setups has consistently been part of his strategy.
Nevertheless, he emphasizes he could only make the switch when his team were doing at an acceptable level - otherwise it would seem as if he was succumbing to external pressure.
"When I arrived here the previous campaign, I recognized perhaps I don't have the personnel to excel in that formation, but it was the start of a journey," he commented.
"Our aim was to establish an identity. Today is a separate juncture. We lack a lot of personnel, and we must adjust, so they comprehend the reason we are making changes.
"The change isn't because of the influence of journalists, or the faithful.
"Whenever you criticize changing the formation repeatedly, I can't make a change because the squad will think I'm changing because of you and I think that is the downfall for the manager.
"Only when we are performing strongly in our preferred setup, then is the opportunity to evolve.
"This will help us grow into a more complete team because when our full complement of players are back, we are not intending to use a back three all the time."
Squad Crisis Persist
Having just two victories in their last eight outings prior to beating Newcastle, it is questionable whether Amorim is accurate to say his side have been in good form.
He is, however, working with a injury-ravaged roster, with seven first-team players already ruled out for the forthcoming fixture against struggling Wolves.
That number will rise if playmaker Mason Mount is unable to recover the injury that led to his exit from the Newcastle game at the interval.
Captain Bruno Fernandes is among those who will be absent for the Wolves clash, despite the fact he is understood to be urging his manager to allow him to return after his muscle injury.
"Fernandes is already insisting he has to practice," revealed Amorim. "However there is absolutely no possibility he is going to play against Wolves. No way. You can quote me on that."
Fernandes' Role Endures
Nevertheless, the Portuguese star will almost certainly still be deeply engaged, as whereas most unavailable players view matches from the stands, Fernandes was spotted keeping a close eye on the pre-match routines from the mouth of the player's tunnel before the Newcastle game.
Amorim expects his leader to continue providing insight.
"He is a natural leader," he affirmed. "He cannot be the type of player that when he is absent, he's not talking and speaking. He's constantly vocal. That is the reason he's the captain.
"He has negative aspects at times - the way he moves his arms - but he has a multitude of strengths. Even after he recovers, he heads to observe the rest of the squad practicing. There are a many things you don't see.
"I'm not sure if he desires my job or not, but he's a born leader. The guy is a true captain."
Return Schedule for Key Players
Although the exact date for Fernandes' comeback - and that of fellow unavailable players like Kobbie Mainoo, Matthijs de Ligt, and Harry Maguire - remains unclear, before the conclusion of January, the club will welcome back Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo from international duty.
