SAINTS boss Nathan Jones has vowed that his team will improve after a rude awakening in his first Premier League game at St Mary’s.

Fresh from the World Cup break, the Jones era at Southampton started in earnest with a pair of home matches, the first an uncomfortable but successful League Cup tie against League One Lincoln City before Brighton cruised to victory on Boxing Day.

Following the 3-1 loss to the Seagulls, Jone admitted that he ‘expected’ his team to be better but promised that they will improve.

READ MORE: Nathan Jones on problems facing Saints: 'That's why we're here'

“The next game is always vital,” Jones said of the upcoming clash with Fulham. 

“You want to bounce back, you have to bounce back from a defeat, you want to bounce back from a poor performance and we’re going to have to do that. 

“We really have to do that and we have to do that quickly. There is time but we don’t want to be leaving it week after week to try and chase something. We know we have to pick up results. 

“Today wasn’t good enough, we didn’t defend well enough, and regardless of what we did with the ball or in spells in moments, today wasn’t good enough. We have to be better than that - and in time we will be.”

Daily Echo:

Saints have kept just one clean sheet so far this season and they added to their growing catalogue of defensive disasters against Brighton as Gavin Bazunu let a tame Adam Lallana header squirm through his hands before Romain Perraud put the ball into his own net.

“We have to defend our box better,” Jones said of what needed improving. “There are moments that aren’t clear-cut chances. They haven’t carved us open and created clear-cut chances. We’re not defending our box well enough. That’s been the problem all year and we have to change that.

“Everyone has to chip in. I’m not going to solve all the problems, neither is one player. It’s a collective here, as a club. And as a club we have to stay up. So it’s not what we do now, it’s come end of May where we are. If we’re outside the bottom three come the end of May, then we’ll have had a successful time to build. 

“All these players will be better having one year in the Premier League but at the minute we’re learning harsh lessons that are costing us points.”

Saints’ upcoming run of fixtures could have a notable impact on the division they end up in next season as they face a gauntlet of sides in and around them in the Premier League table.

Following Fulham, Saints host second-bottom Nottingham Forest before league clashes against Everton, Aston Villa, Brentford, and Wolves.

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