Maya Yoshida admits Southampton have got worse under Mauricio Pellegrino this season but has advised against another managerial change at the club.

After their Boxing Day thrashing at the hands of Tottenham, Yoshida said the players remain behind Pellegrino while also appearing to question the decision to sack Claude Puel in the summer.

Saints finished eighth under the Frenchman last term, 12 points clear of the relegation zone, but they now sit 14th in the table and just two points above the bottom three.

They are also winless in seven Premier League matches and never looked like ending that run at Wembley, where Spurs ran out 5-2 winners thanks to a Harry Kane hat-trick.

Asked if Southampton's players still have faith in Pellegrino, Yoshida told Press Association Sport: "Yes, we can't pass on responsibility to anyone else - to the manager, team-mates, the club. That's easy.

"Everyone has to take responsibility. Claude Puel was fired last season because the club wasn't satisfied. But the situation is even worse now.

"So just sacking the manager is clearly not always the best choice. But it is not my decision, it is a club decision."

Pellegrino criticised the commitment of some of his players earlier this month and there was little evidence of any rally for the Argentinian against Tottenham.

Oriol Romeu was symptomatic of Southampton's lethargy, allowing Kane a free header to open the scoring before making only a token effort to stop Dele Alli's third from the edge of the box.

Son Heung-min was also on target for Spurs, while Sofiane Boufal and Dusan Tadic managed to reduce the deficit during a frantic second half.

"Does the attitude need to improve? I would say yes," Yoshida said. "I think it is a really difficult situation for Southampton, we cannot play like this. The game became too open. We need to get organised."