Dusan Tadic has claimed that Southampton played too direct as they crashed out of the Europa League with defeat to FC Midtjylland.
A 1-0 loss in Denmark condemned the Saints, who have also failed to win any of their three Premier League games, to a 2-1 aggregate defeat in the playoff tie, and Tadic believes that the team have strayed from the approach which secured them a seventh-place finish in the Premier League last season.
"We are very disappointed. I feel a little bit ashamed that we didn't go through," the Serbian told reporters.
"We started playing too many long balls. This is not our football. I understand that you can play too much direct sometimes. But I know this team. We like to play football on the ground.
"We need to play football how we were playing at the beginning of last year. From that we can do something."
Southampton return to action against Norwich City on Sunday.
Callum Mulvihill
