MANAGER Will Still insisted Saints must get Flynn Downes and Shea Charles into positions to play forward quickly if their partnership is to thrive this season.
Downes and Charles were considered by most to be a dream midfield pairing for Southampton in the second tier, but are yet to strut their stuff under Still.
Former West Ham man Downes has battled with illness, and could miss this weekend's game at Hull for that reason, which will have impacted their partnership.
But Still also admitted the duo, much like many other players at the club, need to break all habits developed in previous systems.
"The areas in which they receive the ball - I think they've been used to being played in and just bouncing it back and not turning and looking forward," he explained.
"Especially Flynn. So it's getting them into areas where they can receive and actually look forward, rather than just play a set and keep possession in a really small space.
"It's like you're going to quit smoking, it takes a long time. Not that I smoke at all, but you know what I mean. It's not going to happen overnight."
Still has been vocally frustrated after Saints handed chances to the opposition with lax passing in their first fixtures, and his side have more often gone wide.
But he has also been very clear that this is a work in progress. A clean sheet against Portsmouth was a positive step defensively, but at the cost of their attacking threat.
Asked if his side will look much different in the way they play on Saturday, Still said: "Hopefully a lot. [Before the derby] we'd had sort of 48 hours.
"We had the Thursday session, where we couldn't do a lot because you can't. Then we had a quick session on the Saturday before the game, but you don't really have time.
"You can explain it on a video or you can show it on a board, but it doesn't feel the same. We've had a full week this week where we've been through a lot.
"It's a lot of information for them to sort of grasp and get hold of and move forward with, but there's only one way that you get things right.
"It's by repeating it and doing it again and correcting when it isn't right. We just haven't had time to do that."
He added: "I've been asked, 'Why don't you just play all the new players and get rid of the dead wood?' It's not dead wood. There are some very good players.
"They're just in a process of recovering from stuff and moving forward and learning a new way of doing things. I'll give you an example.
"I stopped a session the other day because we'd lost a ball playing short. And you ask the question, 'Where's the space?' And they all say, 'It's over there'.
"'So why don't you play it?' I said, and they reacted, 'I'm allowed to'. It's like, yeah, you're allowed to. They are still getting out of old habits."
