The way I see it, the approach is that we control games and are economical with our energy levels. By not busting a gut for 90 minutes trying to score 4 or 5, we win more games by not having a tired team for the next game.
I completely understand why some don't like it, but to use a weird analogy, (sorry) it's a bit like driving along at a steady 60mph, you're going to get a lot more MPG than hammering it at 80 - even it that is a bit more exhilarating.