'When I see players shying away from wanting the ball then we have a real issue'
A clearly angry Tom Cleverley pulled no punches when he spoke to the media after the 2-1 defeat at Turf Moor.
The bare scoreline did not tell the story of a match which the home side bossed and should have had in the bag long before the Hornets rallied in the last 10 minutes after pulling a goal back.
That was certainly not overlooked by the Hornets head coach.
“I think losing 2-1 flatters us to be honest and I said that to the players afterwards,” he admitted.
“Let’s not fall into a false sense of security of losing 2-1 at Burnley because that could have been a lot more convincing for them.
“That performance from us today was nowhere near acceptable.”
There were plenty of reasons why Burnley were the better side, but the factor that particularly concerned Cleverley was seeing his players outrun and outfought.
“They showed more personality to play when they were on the ball, they were better at solving problems, but most worrying of all they ran more and they tackled harder,” he reflected.
“It was a really disappointing afternoon.
“The beauty of the Championship is we get chances to put this right in five days and then eight days time.
“The players have always responded well to a performance like that, but we have to.
“If we are serious about our ambitions this season then we have to have a better mindset in these away games.
“You will suffer setbacks – at home we have suffered setbacks but when it happens away from home we don’t show the same character and mindset to come back from them.”
Cleverley was asked if the players’ attitude in away games is a major factor.
“When I try and put my finger on why our home and away form is so contrasting then maybe it is,” he conceded.
“The environment, the occasion, when things aren’t going for you, crowd noise, or a home team that has their tails up. Can we deal with these situations where things are against you?
“For large parts of this season, the answer to that question has been no.”
Cleverley accused his players of hiding during the game.
“I would never criticise my players for a technical mistake but when I see players shying away from wanting to receive the ball then we have a real issue,” he said.
“To get to the level we want to get to we can’t just perform in home games.
“You have to perform in the toughest environments, and that is tough mentally I know, going to look for the ball in a hostile environment.
“But if you do that then it takes you to the next level.
“At the minute we play away like a team that’s happy to flip a coin and finish somewhere between fifth and 10th.
“I want us to grab our own destiny by the scruff of the neck.”
