Ruben Amorim has clarified his comments following Manchester United's 3-1 defeat by Brighton in which he described his side as 'perhaps the worst ever' in the club's history.
Amorim's comments came after watching them slump to their sixth domestic league defeat in 12 this season, with his focus solely on the collective rather than the individuals.
The defeat leaves United 13th in the Premier League table, with United fans wondering how much longer it might take them to see the benefits of the system Amorim is trying to install, with United's players still looking deeply unsure in several areas.
Amorim said before the match against Liverpool at the beginning of the month that his players were playing with fear. A 2-2 draw at Anfield and a penalty shoot-out win over Arsenal in the FA Cup that followed should have boosted confidence.
Instead, Amorim said his players were still “really nervous” as Brighton secured a third straight win in as many seasons at Old Trafford, days after an unconvincing home win over Southampton.
Ahead of Thursday's Europa League game at home to Rangers, the Portuguese attempted to address the fallout from his words following the Seagulls' failure.
“First of all, I want to talk about that (his comment about Manchester United being probably the worst team in the club's history),” he began.
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FREE TO WATCH: Highlights from Brighton's Premier League win over Manchester United
“I spoke more for myself than my players because you have to find a coach who starts a job and loses seven games in the first 10. So it's more for me, I spoke more for myself than the players.
“I also spoke in the same answer about not helping my players. And if you look around, every time I speak, and I speak a lot, every time you push yourself about players who are not good enough, I never put a point about my players, understood I gave you that title myself.
“And sometimes I get frustrated. And sometimes I shouldn't say it that way, but it is what it is. And that's it.
“Sometimes it's really hard to hide the frustration in some moments. But the good thing is that five minutes earlier in the dressing room I said the same things in a different way. So the response was quite normal, because I'm really open with my players.
“And they trained well, they are ready for this game and let's see tomorrow.”
Amorim: I'm really direct – we're playing really bad
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Chris Boyd believes Rangers will still face a tough challenge against Manchester United despite Amorim's side's recent struggles
United have won just three of their 11 league games since Amorim took over as the sacked Erik ten Haag's successor, losing six of them.
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher dismissed most of United's current squad as a “joke” but insisted Amorim's comments could land him in trouble.
Let's talk further Monday Night Football, Carragher said: “I've got no time for this Manchester United team. I don't feel for the players or their confidence – half of them are a joke anyway.”
“But I would be very surprised if the powers that be above him don't have a strong word. You don't talk like the manager of Manchester United… when you're in a very bad situation, you don't talk like that. don't add fuel to the fire.”
Are the comments designed to shock his players into life?
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Amorim passionately explains that he is not nervous but frustrated with Manchester United's recent struggles
“I wasn't thinking, that's why,” replied the apologetic Amorim on Wednesday. “I'm a young guy and sometimes I can make mistakes. That's why I don't like to talk after the game.
“I had to talk and maybe it was a mistake. And then I get more nervous and I go to the conference very nervous. And then you said things you shouldn't say.
“And that's it. Sometimes you're a young guy and you make mistakes. And you improve. I can't promise you I won't do it again. I don't know. So I'll try to improve.”
Amorim insists that the collective responsibility to turn to the poor is the beginning of his mandate.
“I don't take responsibility from the players,” he continued. “What I'm trying to say is that the message that you showed was that I was putting it on the players.
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Jamie Carragher questions the thinking behind Amorim's comments and what it could do for confidence and belief for the rest of the season
“What I said is you have to work really hard to find a team like Manchester United in 10 games losing seven games. And that's on me. Because the same players are worse with a new coach.
“That's my only concern at the moment. But I'm not taking anything away from the players. What I'm saying is that we have to improve in detail, and I've explained that.
“The way we play, we're too nervous with the ball. Too nervous, really anxious. And then, if you have a little experience in this game, when you go down in this context, it's really difficult to go up.
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Sam Blitz examines whether Amorim was right when he said the current Manchester United squad might be the worst in the club's history
“Especially when you're in a big club. That was my only point. Was that the best point to do it after that loss, the way I do it?
“Maybe not, but it's true. And that's how I am all the time. So I don't take responsibility from the players.
“I mean, I'm really, really direct about things. I say at the moment, we are doing very poorly. And our results are really bad at the moment.
“So it's all, all together. Players, staff, technical staff. So I take responsibility.
“I'm just pointing out that I have the biggest responsibility for performance and results, because I'm the coach and I have that responsibility.”
Amorim: It's getting harder to play at Old Trafford
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Amorim insists he will not be changing and that his side need time, despite two wins in their last 10 Premier League games
Defeat by Brighton was United's sixth at Old Trafford this season, incredibly the most in the first 12 home league games since 1893-94.
United were relegated on that occasion after finishing bottom of the Premier League, one of the few seasons that have meant their current squad is not – at least statistically – the worst in their entire history.
Amorim believes his side are particularly suffering now that they are playing in front of their fans at Old Trafford.
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Sky Sports' Anton Toloui and Adam Bate discuss Manchester United's 3-1 defeat at home to Brighton and whether Amorim is asking for more trouble by not changing his approach despite their poor form
“I think it's clear. I could say different things and say, no, no, it's the same thing. We have the support of the fans. No, we're more nervous playing at home than away because we've lost a lot of games, like four games at five
“So it's getting harder. But we can improve. I think if we don't concede the first goal, like in the fourth minute, and I remember, it's the fourth minute, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, and then it's really hard to calm down the team.
“The first thing that comes to my mind is that I can't score. We have to score the first goal. If we score the first goal, I think that will change and we will play better at home in the beginning.
“So that's it. I think that's really clear. We're really looking forward to playing, especially at home.
“And we concede goals and then it's really difficult. So I think it's clear to everyone that it's getting harder and harder to play at Old Trafford.”
Analysis: Amorim acknowledges the mistake as a message of sincerity
Sky Sports News' Ben Ransom at Carrington:
Ruben Amorim knows the power of words and how they carry on when you are the head coach of Manchester United.
A few weeks ago, he warned United fans that a storm was brewing, and on Sunday, after their fourth defeat in five domestic matches, he gave us the 'box-office' headline that this United team is potentially the 'worst club in history'.
On Wednesday, he expected to have to explain those comments and got the chance right at the start of the press conference when I asked him how his words came across to the players.
He tried to make it clear that he was talking about himself and his own record, not trying to criticize his players for another poor performance.
A fascinating dynamic in listening to his speech was that Harry Maguire, no stranger to a critical line of questioning, was sitting at the same table at the press conference.
Maguire nodded in agreement as Amorim tried to hit back at some of the things he said in the heat of another defeat at Old Trafford, all the while trying to get the message across that they need to do better.
A series of tough questions to both the head coach and the former captain followed, and the unified message was one of apparent honesty.
Amorim's biggest admission was when he said he made a mistake in the way he spoke to his players in the dressing room immediately after the Brighton defeat, putting it down to the emotions of youth.
He will hope to be in a position to offer more positive words after his next assignment at Old Trafford, in the Europa League against Rangers on Thursday night.
Maguire: Admitting it first means you're not mentally focused
Maguire said he had no complaints about his head coach's approach and said he was in the squad to take responsibility for United's situation.
There's no shortage of experience or caliber in United's squad, but it doesn't show in a team struggling to adapt to Amorim's system.
There was a feeling they were improving after a 2-2 draw away to Liverpool and an FA Cup penalty shoot-out win away to Arsenal, but that largely disappeared after a poor performance at home to Southampton – saved by a late hat-trick from Amado Diallo – before defeat to Brighton.
“If I could explain it, I think we'll turn it around straight away,” Maguire said of United's woes. “We have players who have played numerous matches at the international level, won many trophies in club football.
“But at the moment we're not playing well enough as a team and the league table shows that. So I can only get on with it. We have to take responsibility as players.”
But in particular, when discussing why United conceded the first goal so often at home, the 31-year-old said: “You have to go into the game and be focused and mentally ready to go and win a game of football.
“Football games are sometimes defined by small margins and right now we're not getting those small margins because we're not mentally focused enough to make sure they go our way.”