Everton’s players held a crisis meeting yesterday to spell out some home truths over their shocking form.
The Toffees’ lame surrender saw him slip to a 3-0 defeat to Atalanta in their Europa League opener on Thursday.
That was Everton’s third consecutive loss, with eight goals conceded in those matches and none scored.
And boss Koeman encouraged his charges to air their grievances to each other in the hope it will address their current slump.
He said: “I think you need always personalities and players and it’s not always about how the manager needs to react or who the manager likes to change.
“Of course we need also personalities who talk and criticise to make the team better, and get a better understanding.
“And to show everybody we will fight for the better period. And that we need to change and that’s the most important thing for Sunday.”
It has left the Dutchman use words such as “weak”, “afraid” and having “doubts” to describe his side ahead of Sunday’s trip to Manchester United.
Koeman is hopeful that senior players such as Wayne Rooney and Leighton Baines speaking up during a meeting held at their Finch Farm base will spark an improvement.
Koeman has spent £130m during the summer transfer window but he acknowledges that his side’s confidence is rock bottom at the moment.
He added: “I’m worried with what I saw on Thursday. I wasn’t so worried after Chelsea, it started with the reaction in the second half against Tottenham - that 45 minutes and the first 45 minutes on Thursday, I think there are enough reasons to be worried.”
Koeman knows he must wholesale changes to shake-up his team at Old Trafford tomorrow.
He added: “You have doubts. Instead of going front in defending you make a step back.
“That’s all about confidence. You don’t go, always you step back if you are afraid.
“And I can name players who are not performing and that are struggling. That altogether makes the team weak at this time.
“The difference of between you are winning you get confidence. But they (Atalanta) started they go for it, we started like ‘ohhh ohhh ohhhh’. Afraid. That’s what we need to change.
“It’s time for the experienced players to stand up. I am worried about what I saw. It was a wake-up call.
“Sunday is not the time to change a lot of things. Because Sunday is a game for men and experience. They need to show it.”
