Southampton manager Russell Martin said that he is frustrated by Saints’ recent form but is confident that they will pick up after the international break.
Saints have gone winless in there last three games, with their latest result being a 1-1 draw at home to Rotherham United.
A win in that gem would have pushed Saints into the top six – but now find themselves 13 points behind league leaders Leicester City, sat in tenth.
Martin said he is happy with the improvements made since the first international break though.
“We have made massive progress since the first international break,” Martin told the BBC.
“We’ve come a long way together as a group and everyone now understands what they are doing.”
Russell Martin says Championship is ‘never easy’
Martin also praised the performance on Saturday, but knows the Championship is a hard league to be in, and further improvements will be required if Saints are going to push for a place near the top of the table.
“It was such a dominant performance.
“I can’t criticise the performance, although there was a guy who booed and wanted to fight me at the end.
“I don’t understand that because the fans just watched one of the most dominant performances that they will see.
“I think everyone can see that we have improved [since the first international break].
“The loss is frustrating but we are in a good position to push on from here – the Championship is never easy.”