Alex Song was at a loss to explain West Ham United’s sleepy start against Southampton on Saturday, as the Hammers paid a heavy price for a lacklustre opening 15 minutes.
The Hammers found themselves a goal down within nine minutes on the south coast and, for all their possession and numerical advantage, were unable to respond in kind.
The Cameroon midfielder insists his side simply cannot afford to begin so poorly in the Barclays Premier League and felt those opening exchanges tarnished an otherwise dominant display.
“I think we've a big regret,” he confirmed. “In the first 15 minutes of the game, we didn't start the match as you have to. That's already happened a lot.
“Afterwards, we came back into the match. As a whole, we dominated the match. It was just those first 15 minutes. We were sluggish and we conceded a goal.
“Then, it was tough. We played eleven against ten and they sat back. We did absolutely everything to score and take a point, but unfortunately it wasn't to be. We have to look to the future and do things differently.”
Song’s frustration was compounded by the encouraging response that followed, in the knowledge that but for those opening minutes, the Hammers would likely have left St Mary’s with at least a point to show for their efforts.
He continued: “After those first 15 minutes, we grew into the game, little by little. But I think that was the key to the match. We have to concentrate better as we have done at home. That's the Premier League for you, if you start poorly, you pay for it.
“They won a couple of corners in quick succession, we gave them the ball and they profited with the goal. We just needed that first goal. We threw everything at them and took risks. It's obviously a shame for us because I think we could have done something better on Saturday.”