Philippe Clement said his side put in a “far below par” performance as his side were well beaten against Millwall at The Den.
Goals either side of half-time condemned Norwich City to a 3-0 defeat on an afternoon to forget as José Córdoba also saw red.
Following the defeat, the Belgian said: “Far below par and far below what we expect of them and what they expect of themselves for sure in this first half.
“We were totally bullied by Millwall in almost every duel and every second ball.
"We went down 1-0 at half-time, it could have been more.
“The reaction in the second-half was better, but when you get the red card, then of course with ten it becomes even more complicated.
“It was below par and it was totally not what we expected of this game.
“We need to go back to basics and everybody with their feet on the ground. Maybe there's been too much positivity about the squad and everything towards this season and that players start to believe too many things
“In this league, if you don't win the fight, if you don't win the duels, you cannot do anything.
“So it needs to start with that and we totally missed in the first half. We didn't win duels, we didn't win second balls, and when we had the ball we were also not brave enough what was much better in the second-half.”
The 52-year-old is keen to get his side fighting again, ahead of the Canaries’ Carabao Cup clash against Cardiff City on Tuesday.
"We have to be honest and go back to basics and to work hard and to fight and to show our quality on the ball.
“What we did better in the second-half but in the first half there was no braveness. We were just bullied by the pressing of Millwall and we didn't come out in a good way what I expect of the team.
“What we've done so many times before in a good way.
“Every new season is starting from zero, so there are no guarantees about players’ spots.
“Of course, there are players also who are not ready yet for 90 minutes, so you need to look at those things also.
“But for example, it was positive about the way that Papa came in today. The way that Anthony came in today, the way Pelle came in today also.”