Mats Knoester wants to see ‘nothing to lose’ mentality from struggling Premiership side Aberdeen

Defender Mats Knoester admits Aberdeen’s players need to handle the pressure and demand more from each other as they bid to finally kick-start their season.

The Dons’ miserable run continued when they lost 2-0 against Dundee United at Tannadice on Tuesday to leave them bottom of the William Hill Premiership and without a goal after five games.

They now travel to Fir Park on Saturday to face a Motherwell team who knocked them out of the Premier Sports Cup last weekend.

Manager Jimmy Thelin has claimed his players have “nothing to lose” now they have hit rock bottom and called for them to get the tension out of their game.

Knoester said: “Personally, I don’t feel tense, in a way of playing.

“Of course, there is pressure on us because the results are not good. You definitely feel a pressure but that is also good and necessary because the expectations are high.

“They should be high for a club like Aberdeen and we just need to handle that and try and get this mindset we have nothing to lose.

“We haven’t had a good result yet, apart from a cup game, so we need to start from zero and create this mentality.”

The Dutchman added: “In Holland and Ferencvaros I have had pressure. It wasn’t similar in terms of losing five games in a row but there was a lot of pressure.

“It is part of our job. We need to handle it, it is as simple as that.

“First of all, you all need to stick together and not point fingers. You need to look at yourself and also point out what the problem is and don’t be too soft on each other.

“The next few days we have to be hard on ourselves and each other but build again and together. That is very important because we will need to do it together.

“We need to be better in surviving difficult moments and also to be a lot more clinical in the final third.”

Despite becoming the first Aberdeen manager in 35 years to win the Scottish Cup just four months ago, Thelin is under mounting pressure after prolonged struggles in the league.

Aberdeen have won just five of their last 32 Premiership matches and it is clear improvement is needed soon if Thelin is to continue in the role much longer.

Knoester believes the players need to ease the burden on the Swede.

“We need to get out of this for everybody,” he said. “You always see the manager as the one who is taking the responsibility but it is 11 players on the pitch who are not doing well. It is our responsibility as well to take it.

“I have to say our manager prepared us for everything and again we gave it away in two moments.

“It is a bit crazy just to say the manager is to blame. I understand that it is always like that in football but, for me, the players need to look in the mirror and do better.”