Wednesday 13 January 2016 23:31, UK
Watford boss Quique Sanchez Flores was left frustrated after "a bad day at the office" cost his side in their 2-0 defeat by Southampton on Wednesday.
The Hornets were restricted to one shot on target over the 90 minutes as they suffered a third consecutive league defeat, and Flores believes his players need support more than ever after one of their worst displays of the season.
Southampton went ahead early through Shane Long's header, with Dusan Tadic wrapping up the win late in the second half, and Flores admitted he could tell within the opening 10 minutes that his side was struggling.
"It was a bad day at the office," Flores said. "In the first 10 minutes I saw too many spaces on the pitch so we didn't keep well. We were a little late in every single play. It was very comfortable for Southampton. They played much better than us and they deserved to win.
"Maybe we need to recognise it's our worst performance. We were playing in a different way than usual. Normally we are a very tough team, normally we are very organised with controlling football, but today we conceded a lot of attempts and a lot of counter attacks.
"We suffered a lot on the pitch, and I don't like to suffer. But I'm supporting the players because this is the first time they have finished frustrated in the dressing room.
"The result was not good but it's the first time this season we didn't achieve the level I think we can get to."
Flores made four changes from the side that progressed past Newcastle in the FA Cup - Watford's sole victory since their 3-0 win over Liverpool before Christmas - but Flores refused to use tiredness to excuse his side's performance.
"This is the Premier League," Flores continued. "This is England. I don't like to make excuses. This is a very tough schedule so we need to accept it.
"We played after four days and we had time for recovery. We've done it a lot of times before so it's not an excuse.
"The players can make mistakes, and in this moment when they make mistakes, I feel they need more support than ever. So today more than ever I love my players, I love my squad and I love the fans."
