It is what it is called - a warm-up. You get players physically and mentally focused. Mental preparation does not just come from the final words from the manager.
No-one has said it was the only cause - those are your words.
I listened on the radio - so you will have a better insight into the day - but the game was lost in the first ten minutes and the pattern of that 10 minutes was set in the first two minutes.
Players have to be right up for games from the start. From the commentary it sounded like we were not...