Hodgson: Task is to ensure players don't 'dig themselves into a grave'

Roy Hodgson returned to his roots, but the English manager is worried about Crystal Palace's footballers going below the ground.

Hodgson's managerial debut at Palace ended in defeat, as the Eagles fell 1-0 to Southampton at Selhurst Park by virtue of a sixth-minute goal from Steven Davis. The result left them at the bottom of the Premier League standings with zero victories and zero goals from their first five games - a first in the top flight of English football - and, after the final whistle, the 70-year-old tactician stated that his principal task is to make sure players don't "dig themselves into a grave."

"Today I thought it was a disappointing performance," Hodgson said, according to the Guardian's Sachin Nakrani. "The anxiety that was there for all to see in the first half in particular, not made easier, of course, by conceding the early goal.

"It is painful today and I fear it is going to be painful in some of the moments going forward, but there's no way you can talk yourself out of that and there's no point in making a bold statement that might not be ratified in some way. We've got to just get down to working.

"I'm not suggesting the work we do on the training pitch will produce two or three Messis and Ronaldos but we need to improve our strengths, cover up weaknesses and be analytical in our judgment of the players to ensure we get the best 11 players on the field."

Under Frank de Boer, who was ruthlessly sacked, Palace lost to Huddersfield Town, Liverpool, Swansea City, and Burnley. Following the defeat to Southampton, the Eagles are without a goal through 439 minutes and 71 shots.