Saints manager Ronald Koeman said his side did not play with enough tempo to trouble West Brom during today’s goalless draw.

Neither team was able to create much during a fairly drab afternoon at St Mary’s, with Koeman frustrated his men were not a bit more upbeat.

The Saints boss added that, despite having lost 2-1 at Liverpool last week, he was almost more disappointed after this latest game.

“The result was better than last week, but the feeling was different, and that’s strange in football,” he said.

“We deserved last week much more than we finally got in the result, but today it was difficult.

“We didn’t have the tempo to create more. I think we played against a West Bromwich team who played with good organisation, very compact, physically strong in defence.

“Then you need high quality in your last passing, your last cross, and we didn’t have that today. It was difficult.

“Maybe in the beginning (we played) too slowly. Not the real high tempo to surprise them in attacking and it was very difficult.

“The same in the second half, it was a difficult one.”

Koeman added: “In building up we would like to have more tempo.

“Sometimes it’s too slowly and that gives the opponents more time to have the good organisation. If you play the first ball back then they have time enough to have good organisation.

“If you play the first ball forward then you have space and we have to do that better than we did today.”

Koeman also praised the commanding performance of keeper Fraser Forster, who made a superb late one-on-one save to deny West Brom striker Brown Ideye what would surely have been a winning goal.

“The big chance they created, he saved that fantastically,” he said.

“It was a difficult one last week. He didn’t have a lot of work to do as a goalkeeper.

“Today not, but in the one or two moments, in the crosses, he was very good.

“He’s a tall one, he’s a good goalkeeper. He’s a goalkeeper for the future and he showed his qualities today.”