ORIOL Romeu believes now isn’t the time to get worried about Saints’ slump in form.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side lost three Premier League games on the trot going into the international break, with a difficult trip to Wolves in the diary for this Saturday.

The only respite from a difficult few weeks came during the 4-0 win over fierce rivals Pompey in the Carabao Cup.

Despite a solid start to the season which saw them win away to Brighton and Sheffield United, Saints currently find themselves outside the relegation zone on goal difference.

“You can be worried at any moment but worried isn’t the word,” explained Romeu.

“You need to see what you are doing wrong and we’ve made too many mistakes in the last games, so if we keep doing the same then we will keep losing games.

“I’d be worried if there was one game left and we were still down there but that’s not the case.

“We still have a lot of games and time to finish this season. The only view that me and the lads have is how we can have a better season.”

When it comes to explaining why Saints have struggled in recent weeks, Romeu was able to point out a number of different reasons.

One of these is that he believes they’ve lacked consistency.

They had a golden chance to cause an upset at Tottenham Hotspur when the home side had Serge Aurier sent off before Danny Ings levelled the match, only for Saints to concede again.

Chelsea then visited St Mary’s and cruised to a comfortable 4-1 victory without looking like they got out of second gear.

However, if Saints have been inconsistent this season, then it’s fair to say Saturday’s opponents, Wolves, have also struggled to be at their best.

With their focus also in the Europa League, they initially struggled to make an impact before going on to shock Manchester City with a 2-0 win at the Etihad Stadium.

The midfielder added: “We, as a team, want to have a reaction and want to show that the last games weren’t at the level that we want to have.

“The consistency hasn’t been the best in the last two seasons, so the sooner we can get a result and the more consistent we can get, the team will be able to play with a different mentality and approach.

“I’m sure that the team is much stronger than it was last season. We control more things and we are stronger tactically, but we need to prove that by getting points.”

Speaking to the Daily Echo after the Chelsea defeat, Hasenhuttl accused his side of showing a lack of commitment.

When pressed for a response on this comment, Romeu made it crystal clear that he and the players take Hasenhuttl’s opinion seriously.

“It doesn’t hurt because I don’t need to hear those kinds of things to motivate me. He is the gaffer and that is what he thinks. We have to respect his opinion,” continued the 28-year-old.

“We, as the players, try to do our job and I don’t think you have to get upset or angry about what the manager has said.

“It’s his opinion and I can’t control the uncontrollable things. I can only focus on myself and what I have to do.

“Sometimes, let’s say Ralph said it or a team-mate has said it, I can understand people are angry or upset after a defeat and people say things that maybe after a few days you don’t even think it was true.

“It’s happened to me and it’s happened to everyone. I wouldn’t judge someone for saying something after a game.”

With Hasenhuttl less than impressed with recent results, the players who weren’t selected for international duty were put to task during the break.

While Romeu has been making the most of the intensity, he was thrilled to be given last weekend off as it gave him the chance to head back to Spain.

This is where the midfielder feels he can switch off from the rigours of an intense Premier League season.

“We’ve had some tough sessions over the last week, but we were given the weekend off which gave us the time to relax and to get our legs a bit fresher,” revealed the former Barcelona player.

“I like to go back [to Spain] and see my friends and family to relax. I think it’s mentally good to go away and to have that time off.

“I’m now looking forward to getting the lads back from their international team so that we can have a good couple of days to work on Wolves and to make sure we are ready for that challenge.

“It’s an away game and in the Premier League everything is tough, but we feel as though we’ve had some good performances this season and we want to have a good feeling again.”