Norwich City head coach Philippe Clement bemoaned his side's lack of efficiency after they slumped to a fifth straight defeat in all competitions with a 1-0 defeat by Southampton.
The Canaries had several good chances before and after half-time, but were unable to beat Daniel Peretz in the Southampton goal and are just one point above the Championship relegation zone.
Clement also criticised the lack of impact from his substitutes as they tried to salvage something from the game.
"Very frustrated because it was again small margins," he told BBC Radio Norfolk.
"I saw a team that gave everything for 70 minutes. I was not pleased with some of the players coming on. There is maybe the excuse that they are a long time out, but I expected more.
"For 70 minutes we played a good game and created enough chances to score. We didn't give away much against a good team. A lot of positives to take, but in the end it's about results."
Clement replaced Liam Manning as Norwich boss in November last year and guided City through choppy waters to a ninth-place finish.
He said he expected a much better start to the new campaign, but insisted Norwich are close to turning things around.
"We need players who step up, who get fuel out of the disappointment. We need to build, like we did last season, when the team was in a much worse state than it is now.
"It is close. Everybody who saw the game will say it was an equal game, toe to toe. The team has been working hard, things are not falling our side, so we need to push that luck. The team needs to show the same mentality and keep playing like a team - then the points will follow."