Ruben Amorim thought he would make headlines, and he was absolutely correct.
The Manchester United manager described his team as "maybe the worst" in the 147-year history of the club after their 3-1 defeat against Brighton on Sunday.
Pundits are divided over the wisdom of the comments - but how will such searing criticism impact the players?
"It could be a powerful moment for the team," Dr Martin Turner, a sports psychologist at Manchester Metropolitan University, told BBC Radio 5 Live.
"It is pretty rare that somebody would be so candid and so bold in some of those statements.