Ruben Selles
The Spaniard watched on as Nayef Aguerd scored the only goal of the game with his headed effort in the first half, while Saints registered shots on target but no big chances.
Saints have scored five goals in Selles’s seven games as boss, and three of them came in one game versus Tottenham Hotspur last time out – which they still did not win.
Speaking after defeat at London Stadium,
Ruben Selles said: “It’s always frustrating when you concede a goal and especially set-plays. We have been facing some good teams in the last games and we know it’s fine margins. We know it’s one goal that puts you in a game or out, up to the goal, nothing happened for them. We showed how we are and how we want to play but the goal, the VAR decision is sometimes for you and sometimes not. Apparently, it was very tight. When you concede that you need to fight yourself back into the game.”
Selles had spoken during the week about wanting to up the standard of his team’s counter-pressure, winning the ball back in dangerous areas after possession had just been taken off them.
Ruben Selles said: “I think we did the things we talk about and because of the positions we occupied on the pitch we were able to do this, but sometimes it’s a tactic and sometimes it’s a mindset. I think their goal put us a little bit out of the game. We tried the game back to us, we tried a couple of variations of tactics but I need to analyse because maybe it’s some of the decisions I make. There was a feeling we could get more from the game but we never make the last pass or the last action, so we should have been better in the second half.”
Saints remain rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table and are still three points clear of safety, but West Ham have flown up into 14th – showing how tight the division remains.
Ruben Selles continued: “I have told you many times that I am focused on the performances and what we do. So I don’t look at the table as it has been there since the beginning for us. I think we can perform better and can become better, especially in moments like today, where the goal hit us. In some other games, we have managed a clean sheet and that is the key for us. We need to keep a zero there and then get better with the decisions in the last third.”
