West Ham boss David Moyes admits they were flat for their 0-0 draw at Southampton.
Speaking afterwards, Moyes felt his players did not quite click in the final third after many of them spent the majority of the past fortnight away on international duty.
Moyes said, "It was a bit close, the game. I thought we played really well at times in the first half, but we just didn't have the connection in forward areas today to make the difference, when in recent weeks we have and we scored two fours and a two, but we just didn't have the connection today.
"Whether that's to do with the players coming back on Thursday and Friday might have something to do with it, but I thought Southampton defended very well.
"I thought if we continued to play as well as we had in the first half that we would eventually wear them down and it felt like that, but again I just want to reiterate that our front players ahead of the ball didn't quite make the right passes or the right choices.
"In truth, we didn't create enough chances. We had a few but not many. I have to say, so did Southampton near the end of the game as well."
Michail Antonio was sent off and Moyes added: "There will be reasons during the season when we'll have to make changes and we'll need to make one now that Michail Antonio is facing a suspension, so we'll need the new players and we'll need all the squad of players to see us through in our first season when we've got European football as well.
"I think Michail's two yellows were justified from what I saw, but I've not seen them again to comment on them. I feel once you've had one, you certainly don't lunge in for a challenge and get a second one."
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