What Southampton FC did at Bristol City that annoyed Will Still - it’s ‘frustrating’ | OneFootball

Will Still has opened up on Southampton's issues as a team as they continue to struggle in the Championship this season.

Will Still has admitted opponents are not having to do much to get results against his Southampton side at the moment, as their poor form continued with a 3-1 loss at Bristol City on Tuesday night.

Many expected Saints to be in the mix for promotion following their relegation from the Premier League, whilst Still arrived with a good reputation after impressive work in Belgium and France.

However, even though it’s very early days, Southampton are languishing in the bottom half of the table, having won just two of their 11 league games, which has left them closer to the relegation zone than the play-offs.

Will Still makes honest Southampton admission after Bristol City defeat

Therefore, the pressure is building on Still, and whilst there were plenty of positives to take from the goalless draw against Swansea in a game where Saints missed several big chances, it was a different story at Ashton Gate.

After taking the lead through Adam Armstrong, there was a soft side to Southampton as Anis Mehmeti and a Scott Twine double condemned the south coast outfit to defeat.

And, speaking to Bristol Live after the game, Still acknowledged that his team must be more ruthless in both boxes if they are to start climbing the Championship table.

“It's annoying, I think, because I think again, in the first half we've been in total control. Utterly dominated it, had two or three really big chances, scored a great goal, and then made one sort of half mistake and paid [for] it with the goal.

“We then had a really big opportunity to go 2-1 up, didn't take it. Came out the second half, started off really well, hit the crossbar, somehow missed from a couple of yards out, and they go up the other end and shank one.

"It deflects off someone's backside or leg or whatever it was, hits the post, and rolls along the goal line. That just sums it up, really, doesn't it?

“There's a lot I can do and there's a lot we are doing, but it doesn't really feel as if it's paying off at this moment in time, and that's, I think, the most frustrating thing.

"Goals change games, and at the moment we're not scoring a goal, and when we do, we go and shoot ourselves in the foot, make a mistake, and concede one.”

Will Still knows Southampton must quickly improve after their poor start

This is a fair assessment from Still, and the reality is that Southampton are missing chances at big moments, and there is still a soft underbelly to the team at the moment.

Indeed, as per FotMob, Saints have missed 19 big chances in the Championship so far this season, which ahead of Wednesday night's set of fixtures, is the third-highest of any second tier side, with just Coventry City (21) and Ipswich Town (22) ahead of them in this unwanted category.

Whilst you can have some sympathy with him for individuals not taking opportunities, fans may question him about the defensive side of things, as this has been a theme at the club for some time now, and he was brought in to address that and make them more difficult to play against.

Of course, that’s not to say he will have all the answers after 11 games, but the lack of progress will be a concern for the hierarchy, who are understandably also coming in for criticism from the fans.

It had looked as though the team were starting to turn the corner with a few decent performances going into the game against Bristol City, but they couldn’t build on that, and it was a real backward step.

So, it will be intriguing to see if Still makes any changes for the weekend trip to take on Blackburn, which is a very big game for Still and Southampton as they look to get this underwhelming campaign going.