Erik ten Hag blamed a lack of belief for Manchester United's "hammering" in Sunday’s 6-3 derby day demolishment at Manchester City.
Having bounced back from alarming defeats to Brighton and Brentford with four successive Premier League wins, the Red Devils were brought down to earth with a bump at the Etihad Stadium.
Erling Haaland and Phil Foden both scored hat-trick as City ran amok in the highest scoring Manchester derby.
Substitute Anthony Martial’s brace complemented a superb second-half strike from summer signing Antony for United, but a number of fed up visiting fans had already headed for the exits by that point.
"I also told the players (it was a) lack of belief," manager Ten Hag said. "I’ve seen some highlights. It was obvious that we are defending not (on the) front foot, we let them play.
"We were, in possession, not brave enough, made technical skills mistakes, decision mistakes and then you get hammered."
Put to the Dutchman that professional footballers should already have belief, he said: "I think often it’s the other way around.
"So, for instance, in the last five games we bring that attitude on the pitch. We have a strong belief and convincement, we bring opponents problems.
"Today it was the other way around but I think it’s normal in our process that the pattern has to go up and I think I see clearly it goes up.
"But you will have setbacks during that process and we have to learn from it but point it clearly out.
"We can walk away from it but if we do it we will not get the solution.
"We will be very clear and then we have to move on. We will carry on to the next game."
"Of course, we have to criticise, we have to criticise each other, so I didn't get the message right to the players quite clearly to get the belief on the pitch"
Ten Hag says United players have to accept that criticism and produce team performances akin to those shown in the victories against Liverpool and Arsenal.
The Dutchman acknowledged that the fact they had not played a league game since winning the latter 28 days ago had an effect but said that was no excuse "when you don’t bring the right performance".
Instead, Ten Hag underlined that the lack of belief undid their rules and principles at the Etihad Stadium, where the meek loss will not lead to the kind of punishment he dished out after the humiliating loss at Brentford.
"The punishment had a reason – they outrun us so we didn’t work hard enough," said Ten Hag, who made his players run 13.8km the day after that defeat – the distance the Bees had collectively outran them by.
"Today is also mental but it’s a different mental issue, it’s like belief. It’s not always about punishment.
"Of course, we have to criticise, we have to criticise each other, so I didn’t get the message right to the players quite clearly to get the belief on the pitch and from then on we didn’t play our game, our way of playing.
"That’s disappointing but it’s good it happens against City. But then you get quite clear what the problems are when you don’t bring it."
Pep Guardiola hailed Haaland's determination to "run like an animal" after he maintained his stunning start to his City life.
"What Erling is doing he has done in Norway, in Austria and in Germany, that is the reality," the City manager said.
"He came and realised, 'Oh, these guys, my mates, run like an animal and I have to do it too'.
"Of course, the quality we have alongside him helps him to score goals but, what he has done, I didn’t teach him once.
"When the ball is right he attacks the box. How he moves behind the central defender away from the action, he has incredible instincts that the ball will arrive there and it comes from his mum and dad. He was born with that and just to help him produce more goals.
"I have had incredible centre forwards in my career. What I like in the last period of the game is he is involved.
"He said, ‘I prefer to touch the ball five times and score five goals'. I don’t like that, I want him to touch the ball more and more, so he became a football player who scores goals.
"I like that he’s part of more situations, but don’t forget his biggest talent is to put the ball in the net."
Haaland, who became the first player to score hat-tricks in three successive Premier League games, has started every match since he joined City from Borussia Dortmund in the summer.
