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Mark Hughes says Southampton need to be more clinical

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Southampton manager Mark Hughes says his team have to take more of the chances they are creating

Southampton manager Mark Hughes says his team have to take more of the chances they are creating.

The Saints have slipped to 16th in the table, just two points above the bottom three, after losing their last three games without scoring a goal.

Hughes is satisfied with the opportunities his strikers are getting, but says they need to be more clinical in front of goal.

"Clearly the end game is getting the ball in the back of the net and that's what wins you games, it goes without saying," Hughes said.

Mark Hughes' Southampton fell to their first defeat of the season at Everton
Image: Mark Hughes wants Southampton to be more prolific in front of goal

"The last three games have been Liverpool away, Chelsea at home and Wolves who are difficult because they are on a crest of confidence after coming up into the new league and doing really well.

"So they are all difficult fixtures and you have to factor that in and in all those games we have created chances.

"It's not as though we not getting shots off. I think if you look at the amount of shots we've had in the season to date it's up there with everybody.

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"It's just our conversion rate we need to increase. If we do that and we convert more of the chances we create and the shots we take we will score more goals and win more games."

Danny Ings scores during the Premier League match between Southampton and Brighton & Hove Albion at St Mary's Stadium on September 17, 2018.
Image: Danny Ings is the last Southampton player to have scored, in a 2-2 draw against Brighton on September 17

Southampton have a chance to put things right when they make the short trip to Bournemouth on Saturday and Hughes believes it will not be long before they start climbing the table.

"We need to overcome the little bit of anxiety we've got in our play at times in key moments but for the most part as the season progresses we'll get more than enough points on the board," he added.

"I'm confident in the group we've got here. Having done this for a long time I understand clearly the group that I've got and their potential so I feel very confident we'll start getting maximum points very, very quickly."

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