Erik ten Hag admits he is at a loss to explain Manchester United's poor defensive performances.
The Red Devils have conceded 14 goals in their last five games and 10 in the last three, with three goals against Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday not enough even to earn them a point.
United boss Ten Hag said: "We have shown that we can do it because last year we had the most clean sheets in the Premier League because of the team, because we defended very good as a team, so we have to get back to that standard.
"Of course I am pushing the team and demanding from the team, and from the start of the season, but they are human beings, not robots, so, why they are not doing it, I try to find out and I try to give the solutions and try to motivate the players to do the job.
"When you are in a period like we are in always as a manager you are asking yourself these questions. My job is to get them to do the job."
On United’s tendency to concede goals soon after a restart, Ten Hag added: "(We’re) not concerned but we are aware of it. Of course you can’t close your eyes for things like this so we coach the players, we coach the team in that fact."
Question marks have been raised about the attitude of United’s squad, with clips from the Bayern game apparently showing players not chasing back as hard as they might.
Ten Hag does not believe a lack of willingness was to blame, though, saying: "It’s always a concern when we didn’t run but I think against Bayern it was not the case.
"In certain situations yes so it’s also to recognise in which situation is it about they didn’t recognise it and didn’t make the right decisions or is it about willingness?
"Against Spurs, we didn’t run too much. But I think against Bayern we did our best from physical outputs but we didn’t always run in the right moment.
"If we bounced back like we did in Munich, you can’t say the spirit isn’t right. I think we have other problems than that."
"I live in Manchester and the family is red and blue so there will be more people watching this game with particular attention within my ranks" - Vincent Kompany
United face Burnley at Turf Moor on Saturday night and their opponents boss' Vincent Kompany wants to add to his fond memories of facing the Red Devils.
In a decade-long spell at the Etihad Stadium, Kompany played a pivotal role in shifting the power balance in the city as he lifted the Premier League trophy four times.
Without Kompany's goal in a 1-0 derby win in April 2012, there would have been no Sergio Aguero moment against QPR two weeks later.
But the 37-year-old – who married into a local family while with City – does not want to trade on past achievements but instead create new ones from the dugout.
"I’ve got a few (memories) but I’d like to make new moments as a coach," he said. "I can’t keep putting my achievements as a player forward. It’s about my achievements as a manager now.
"I live in Manchester and the family is red and blue so there will be more people watching this game with particular attention within my ranks, it will always be a special fixture. I’d like to make my own memories now as a coach and we’ll see when that moment comes…
"Being a player, nothing beats that feeling but being a coach is the closest thing, whether it’s (against) United or any other game, it’s the closest thing to what you experience as a player."
Kompany was linked with a move to United when still a teenager coming through the ranks at Anderlecht, instead joining Hamburg before heading to City in 2008.
"When I was about 17, that might have been true," Kompany said with a laugh when asked if a move to Old Trafford was ever close.
"Sir Alex Ferguson came and watched me live and it was probably my worst game of the season so destiny had it this way. They’ve always wanted to push me towards the blue side and go through the struggle first."
Burnley have gone through something of a struggle as they adapt to the demands of the Premier League in the opening weeks of the season following promotion, but spirits were lifted after Monday's 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest, a game the Clarets might easily have won.
That came after three consecutive home defeats, with Burnley losing to Manchester City, Aston Villa and Tottenham.
Fellow promoted sides Sheffield United and Luton have also struggled, but Kompany is not shifting from his possession-based approach as he tries to bed in new signings.
"I think any manager in this job in the Premier League… go to all 20, I’m pretty sure they’ll all say they’ll stick to what they believe in, it’s a key part of the job," he said.
"We’re in a position where the three games we played against the so-called better sides, we realised there was a gap, and the games we’ve played against the sides around us we’ve realised we’re a good side as well.
"The name of the game for all of us is to stay in games and to get results. I’m not surprised and I don’t think they’d be surprised it’s not been easy in the beginning.
"Our calendar as well, you can fast forward our next three or four games and you can see we’ve got a lot of the so-called top-eight sides at the very beginning of our fixtures but we’re getting ready to show we belong. That’s a journey and it doesn’t happen in a month’s time."
