All the modern day player needs to mentally excuse them for half-arsed performances is a respected, long standing captain, player or internal clique that will listen to them when they moan about tactics, being criticised/slapped, or tactics after losing, and console and agree with them, validate their lip-quivering. No successful group has every been set up like that.
I suspect we have a few of those. We shouldn’t get anywhere near this level of tool-downing every year.
We get the annual “we all need to look at ourselves in the mirror…..” crap from the usual players, and it’s never made a difference. The manager goes a couple of weeks later. Players will always have someone to go to who will agree with them it’s not their fault. We have clear little groups, which is fine socially. But it should never get that far. We need every player to know without even thinking the level of effort and ferocity required every minute of every game, training session. And there needs to be a captain or group that makes that very clear when there is deviation from that, so you literally dont fit in if you aren’t pushing. Manager shouldn’t need to be having those sorts of conversations.
Don’t doubt the dedication of the senior players, or in some cases their love for the club. Am sure they lead by example by being nice and early for training, and “looking after themselves” properly. Thats only a tiny part of it. You can’t just lead by example. It should be far more uncomfortable for players to half arse it, because it’s just not accepted by every other player. Its clearly for years been quite easy to get away with it, and others gladly join in. Despite all the “looking the mirror” that supposedly goes on.
It’s been the same at United for years too. They can spend as much as they like. There is always a bunch of players unhappy who will sympathise with any other player that decides they are being treated or criticised unfairly, and would also like a period of being sulky.
Imagine a professional golfer or F1 driver deciding to not give everything every day? They would have a sporting income of £0 within 12 months.