JIMMY Floyd Hasselbaink says his team are chasing the game too much at the moment and need to get back to basics in the search for a first win of the season.
The Brewers manager wants his players to concentrate on doing the simple things well and to cut out mistakes.
“If we do that and get a little break we can grow from there,” he said.
The Brewers exited the Carabao Cup on Tuesday at Rochdale despite having the lion’s share of possession.
Hasselbaink said: “The next day you look more in depth, and we had almost 60 per cent of the ball which suggests you are controlling the game but if you look at the chances and shots at the goal, they had more than us, better chances and that’s what football is all about really.
“When we came into the final third, we weren’t decisive enough, and we need a bit more help in those areas from ourselves and a bit more belief.
“We had a good meeting today and a good training session. It’s about finding a way forward and working together.
“We have different problems to last year, so we need different solutions. What worked last year is not working at the moment, and we need to find solutions that work for this group.”
Hasselbaink admits that his players are short on confidence but says that it can come back by doing the right things.
“Coaches can tell you how great you are, and coaches can try and get your confidence up, but it all starts with yourself. To get that confidence again you need to go back to basics and do the simple things right. At the moment we are chasing the game too much, rather than the game finding us. What I mean by that is things like going out of your position to get the ball and going to do other people’s jobs and not doing your job. We need to stick with what’s expected of each of us and that will go a long way to getting back on the right track.”
The Brewers are back in League One action on Saturday with a trip to Accrington Stanley, who were also knocked out of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday, at home to Tranmere, but who have four points from their two league games.
Hasselbaink said: “Accrington are a really hard working, in-your-face team who play good football. They run, tackle and pass the ball accurately. They know what they are good at and it’s brilliant to see. They are a small club who have got things right and they are a little bit further along than us, but we are in the same kind of bracket
“Going to their place is always difficult and we need to have the energy they have and more and we need to compete. If you do that you give yourself a chance. If you outrun them, you give yourself a chance. If you don’t compete you are in trouble.
“We have to go there and get at them. We have to show them respect and treat them right, but we also have to attack them. But before you do that you have to be in the game, be solid and win your duels. When you do that, you can go on and put them on the back foot.”
Gassan Ahadme came off injured on Tuesday but should be fit to play on Saturday.
Hasselbaink said: “He got a knee against his hip flex. But he trained today, and he should be OK for Accrington.”
Hasselbaink also confirmed that Michael Mancienne has now had his knee operation, but he will need several months recovery time and that William Kokolo is currently not available due to personal reasons