Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes has warned his players they have work to do in pursuit of a complete performance.
The Dons have gone from two points clear at the top of the table to trailing champions Celtic by the same margin following a goalless draw at Hearts and a 1-1 draw against Kilmarnock at Pittodrie on Saturday.
McInnes, pictured, is concerned how his side has faded following a bright start in their last two matches and, with a big Betfred Cup and league double-header at Motherwell looming, he knows there can be no repeat.
The Dons travel to Fir Park on Thursday for their cup quarter-final and Mc-Innes acknowledged there needs to be a big improvement.
The Aberdeen manager is also wary of the goal threat Motherwell have shown.
He said: “Motherwell are scoring goals and they have an identity. It will be a tough game on Thursday but it is an opportunity to get to a semi-final and I’m sure both teams will fancy their chances.
“We face opponents who are finding goals easy to come by and we are in for a very tough game. We know we need a more complete 90-minute performance.
“It is very important we go as far as we can in the cup. Our objective at the start the season was to get to the final and we’re looking forward to the game.
“There is work to be done, but we’ll be doing it through the week and hopefully we can produce a performance that is good enough to take us through.”
McInnes was unhappy at the manner in which his side faded following a bright start against Killie at Pittodrie.
The tail-off in performance was noticeable but McInnes is confident it will not be an ongoing issue, saying: “We’re unbeaten and not too concerned but it is important we put it right. We were too pedantic, too slow in our build-up and we have to find the reasons why.
“We started with promise on Saturday. Our start was fantastic and the players gave us everything we asked of them.
“The difference in our start to the game compared to how we finished off against Hearts was night and day.
“Our full backs were high, we were putting them under pressure and we had Kilmarnock exactly where we wanted them. It was really pleasing to watch.
“Kilmarnock were then forced to change their system due to an injury and we lost our rhythm.”