Aberdeen midfielder Ryan Jack conceded the Dons lacked a creative spark as their winning run ended with a 1-0 defeat by Caley Thistle.
The Dons were aiming for five consecutive league victories for the first time since 1992 but their good form deserted them as the Inverness side ran out worthy winners – thanks to a Danny Williams goal after 22 minutes.
Aberdeen’s next three matches will define their season, with a trip to Motherwell followed by the eagerly anticipated League Cup semi-final against St Johnstone and a Scottish Cup tie at Celtic.
Jack sees no reason for pessimism, despite Saturday’s poor showing at Pittodrie.
He said: “It’s all about how we respond to these setbacks. There’s no reason to be down in the dumps.
“We have lost only one game and we are still in a strong position which is why we have made sure we don’t get carried away with things.
“It’s disappointing to lose any match but we have been on a good run and we just need to bounce back. Inverness deserved to win as they played better than us on the day. We just need to hold up our hands and admit we didn’t play to our capabilities.
“We need to perform every week if we are going to win matches. There are no excuses. We will look at the game this week and work on whatever went wrong and put it right.”
The Dons had plenty of opportunities to test the Caley Thistle rearguard, earning 10 corners in the first half alone.
However, Inverness goalkeeper Dean Brill was rarely troubled and Jack accepts his team needs to do more to win.
He added: “We did lack a little bit of creativity in the team but most weeks we have been making and taking chances. This was just one of those days when nothing went for us. We have another big game at Motherwell next week.
“They are all big games but they are currently our closest rivals in the division.
“That makes it a big three points at stake and that would be the ideal game to bounce back with a win as we have a point to prove.
“It’s a big few weeks with the semi-final of the League Cup and a Scottish Cup tie against Celtic coming up but we won’t be distracted.”
Toothless Dons, Pages 62, 63