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Mauricio Pellegrino admits Saints are still searching for a new identity, but insists nine games is nowhere near long enough to build it.
With Frank De Boer sacked after four league games at Crystal Palace and Ronald Koeman dismissed from Everton after nine top flight games this season, patience with managers seems to be wearing ever thinner.
Pellegrino finds it hard to understand, but knows he is playing the same game.
It’s when the fine line between planning for the future and trying to get instant results needs to be carefully trodden.
It certainly hasn’t been an easy start to life at St Mary’s for Pellegrino, and he is adamant that it will take time to get things the way he wants them.
He said: “It’s a season with ups and downs, not too regular in terms of results but I think we are getting better in terms of performance and how we are playing, to be more intelligent, more clinical, to create different situations, and we are working on the base of the team.
“We are a team creating a good number of chances in the final third and this is something we are doing well and obviously I would like to improve the accuracy in the final third to score more goals and this is our target for the next few games.
“We are looking for an identity.
“We play nine games in the Premier League which is not too much when we think about the evolution of the team.
“In modern football in nine games you can write a lot of history, but in the history of the club it is nothing, to build connections with the players is nothing.
“We are changing in different ways and different players to see how they feel in different situations and modern football is about 22 players and not just one. We are not dancing with another 11, we just dance alone.”
After victory against West Brom last weekend thanks to Sofiane Boufal’s late wonder goal, Saints look for their first back-to-back victories of the season as they go to Brighton on Sunday.
“Every single game is an opportunity to try to continue improving,” reflected Pellegrino.
“Sometimes the stats are important, but the numbers and the stats are important at the end when the season is gone. It depends then on what position and the level of our players.
“Right now we need to try to win games and it is something I would like to do.
“I think it will be a difficult game, very tough, because they have been working for a long period of time with the same manager and idea.
“A good rhythm team, very clinical, clear ideas, really tough in set plays, in counter attack very dangerous, and we need a really good performance to bring some positives.
“The three teams coming from the Championship I am really surprised about that.
“Huddersfield, Newcastle and Brighton are doing really well, and I never see in my life something like that from the beginning the three teams doing really well, winning games and being really competitive from the beginning.”
Part of Saints trying to find an identity must also be Pellegrino deciding on what he believes is his best team.
The boss is happy with a competitive squad but it doesn’t make life any easier for him when it comes to making decisions.
“When we think about our squad we build it because we want to be stronger as a club and they have to fight each other to be better and to be better prepared and I have a lot of options and I trust in most of them and most of them are ready to play to be honest.
“It is a nice problem for me because I have options to choose the best 11.”
Of course, there has been much focus on the Saints attack this season, due to a lack of goals that stems back to the last campaign.
Sofiane Boufal has put himself in prime position to be the man to help Saints with a stunning goal against West Brom.
But he is one of a myriad of options for Pellegrino, who is trying to find a successful formula.
“Most of the players have got ability, for me I always try to explain to them that you have to choose the right moment to go one v one, when to play simple or maybe pass to the other teammate in a better position,” he reckoned.
“In modern football organisation is really high and they don’t have too much time to decide, less than one second, between the lines.
“An offensive player has to think before they receive the ball and read the big picture and in modern football to learn and to see before receiving the ball is crucial.
“It is the main target for all our offensive players and not just Sofiane.
“I think because you as an individual your body has a limitation but as a team you don’t have any limits.
“The connections between the players and the understanding and the quantity of different action that you can create between each other has no limit.
“When you improve that as a team for this reason nine games in the evolution of the team is nothing.
“Some players speak English well between them. They are good at something as an individual but in team sport improving as a team is something you can always be better.”
Saints will be without Mario Lemina for the game against Brighton, a significant blow given he has been their best player this season.
But assuming Saints can stem any problems from that loss, again the spotlight is likely to fall on the attack and whether they can create and convert chances.
With Manolo Gabbiadini now seemingly a fixture in the side, Charlie Austin is having to wait for his chance while Shane Long toils in a wide role trying to desperately find a bit of confidence from somewhere to get scoring again.
“It’s part of our job,” insisted Pellegrino. “I think Shane was working well, working for the team, and the other day for example was defending in the right side, he did a good job for the team and he has had a couple of chances he couldn’t score but I am happy with his job.
“Charlie now obviously is waiting and training to be ready for his opportunity.
“The manager decides at this moment to put in another teammate and this is part of our decision.
“The moment that I decide to put them on the pitch is because I am giving the confidence and I am receiving from them the strength and conviction that they can do it really well.
“I have a lot of players and most of them deserve to play, but sometimes it depends on how we are and the necessity of the team and sometimes I see the momentum is much better than the other.”
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