Heerenveen head coach Robin van Persie said his team’s 9-1 defeat to AZ Alkmaar in the Eredivisie on Saturday reminded him of his 8-2 loss to Manchester United in 2011 as an Arsenal player.

The 41-year-old, who succeeded Kees van Wonderen as head coach in May, has had an inconsistent start to the season. Heerenveen is in 12th place in the Eredivisie table with one win, one draw and two defeats from its first four games.

Van Persie captained the Arsenal team that lost 8-2 to United at Old Trafford in the 2011-12 Premier League season – a result then-Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger described as “humiliating”. The following summer, the Dutch striker signed for Sir Alex Ferguson’s dominant United side.

In Saturday’s game, former Tottenham striker Troy Parrott scored four goals in AZ Alkmaar’s record win.

“I also know how it works. I once lost 8-2 to Manchester United,” said Van Persie. “That wasn’t fun either, but that’s part of being a footballer. It’s part of everyone’s journey to become the best version of themselves.”

“It’s a journey of trial and error but ultimately it’s about being a man in those moments. To the boys, to the media, to your family and your friends. The football world can be a pretty tough world. A lot of people like it when things go wrong. You have to accept that. It’s very easy to be happy and put on music when you’re winning a game. Then everyone is at their best.

“It’s about standing with your head held high in these situations and being proud of yourself and the others. We have to keep doing that. We stay true to ourselves, even when things get tough. I believe in that and the boys believe in that.”

The defeat was Heerenveen’s heaviest loss at AZ Alkmaar.

“It’s tough. You experience a lot of setbacks in your career. This was a big setback. We learned more from this game than usual,” said Van Persie.

“That’s part of football. I haven’t been traumatised by it and neither have my players. You want to be the best you can be. That includes falling down and getting back up again.”

Van Persie, who won more than 100 caps for the Netherlands, felt Heerenveen played well in the first half despite trailing 2-1 at half-time.

“Then it is important to start the second half well and determinedly. But the third, fourth and fifth goals came in quick succession. For AZ, that was fuel on the fire; they saw their chance,” said Van Persie.

But Van Persie told reporters afterwards that he had no intention of abandoning his attacking philosophy.

“Even if things don’t go the way we imagined, like scoring three goals in quick succession in the second half, it’s important to keep doing the things we agreed to do,” he said. “We will keep playing our own game. That’s what I believe in and that’s what we believe in.”

Heerenveen travels to FC Twente in its next Eredivisie match on Tuesday.

Information from Reuters contributed to this report