Mauricio Pellegrino has urged Saints to keep playing the way they are, insisting they will ‘win more than they lose.’ The new Saints boss heads into the latest international break having started with two victories in his first eight games in charge, and with goals in short supply.

The latest defeat came at Stoke, where Peter Crouch struck late to condemn Saints to a 2-1 loss.

Saints did produce some good attacking football, but again a failure to score goals cost them dearly.

Pellegrino wants his team to going the same way, believing the results will come.

He said: “For sure we will try different players, different positions. It is something we are doing because during the game we changed two or three times.

“Sometimes it depends on the positions, sometimes no, because when you change too much they don’t have time to be connect between them.

“I think in the last few games we deserve a little bit more.

“One thing is the score and another is what we are doing on the pitch and we have to analyse well to do some change.”

He added: “It could be a lack of goals, but it could also be we have to avoid (conceding) this type of goals.

“I think the football today with the majority of the teams it’s really difficult to create chances and to score goals.

“Today we did, we create a couple of clear chances in the first half, and in the second half we were there.

“Ok, we have to keep going, and we repeat, playing in this way we will win more than we lose.”

Maya Yoshida popped up to deliver Saints’ fifth goal of the season with a stunning volley on 75 minutes, cancelling out Mame Diouf’s first half header.

However, Crouch’s winner five minutes from time meant it was a disappointing journey home for Saints, who were again left to rue chances created but squandered.

“In football when you work with a group of people always when you are right it is about a lot of things, and when you are wrong it is about a lot of things. It’s the same,” insisted Pellegrino.

“When the team has success everybody is responsible and when the team don’t get results it’s not just about one thing, it’s about a lot of things is my opinion.”