Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhüttl noted the areas needed for improvement in his side following their EFL Cup exit to Brentford at St Mary’s.
Two late first half goals courtesy of Christian Nørgaard and Josh Dasilva secured progression for the visitors on what was a bitterly disappointing night for Hasenhüttl’s side.
The manager cut a frustrated figure as he dissected the result at full-time, labelling his side’s lack of competitiveness as their biggest downfall on the night.
“We are not playing quick enough at the moment,” said the boss. “Not aggressive enough without the ball. We are not at the fitness levels we had last season.
“This is not surprising we had no pre-season where we could work together. But yes we should go quickly to a different level otherwise it’ll be difficult.
In this moment there are too many things missing from our game.
“Also we’re conceding a little too easily. Against teams that are very organised, like Brentford was today, it simply wasn’t enough.
“It’s not all the time. We played quick, when we played easy we created chances. The reason we didn’t score? We were a bit unlucky. But the last punch, that quality in front of goal, is not here at the moment.
“We need to have all the games played and helping us to get better. The next game is on Sunday and we must do everything to push hard because at the moment we are not competitive enough.”
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