Nathan Jones admitted Charlton were “poor” in their 2-0 loss at Vicarage Road against Watford on Saturday.
The Addicks fell to defeat with Luca Kjerrumgaard opening the scoring early in the second half for the home team before Charlton academy graduate Jordan Zemura netted in stoppage time.
“I thought we were poor,” Jones said. “We didn’t take the game to them, we looked lethargic and didn’t have energy. The midfield got bypassed too quickly, and whenever we gave the ball away, which we did too often, they were in. There were too many things we could have done better, and seven or eight players were a long way off the standards we require.
“Maybe I should have freshened things up personnel-wise. That’s on me. It was as poor as we’ve been.”
Jones felt his team had opportunities to take control but failed to build momentum or make the most of their chances.
“We were in the game,” he said, “but we didn’t really go after them and didn’t build any momentum. We passed the ball well at times, and when we played forward with a bit of quality, we looked like we could score. We had two glorious chances in the first half, Miles [Leaburn’s] chance and then Billy Koumetio’s.
“We tweaked things at half-time, but it was the same again. We had possession, gifted the ball back to them, and they attacked. The shot [for Watford’s opener] wasn’t great, but it came back to them and they scored. It’s difficult to take because we don’t prepare like that.”
He added that Charlton lacked the composure and quality to convert their chances.
He said: “Quality, composure, whatever it is, we didn’t have enough of it. We had a glorious move and a great opportunity in the first half, and we didn’t score. We had set plays and didn’t score. After they scored, we had opportunities at the other end and didn’t take them.
“If you don’t take those opportunities and you can’t keep a clean sheet, then you have to score. We didn’t demonstrate enough quality today.”
With the team having gone five draws and three defeats without a win, Jones said the focus must now be on results in the upcoming home games.
“This is the longest I’ve ever been without winning a game,” he explained. “The margins at this level are so fine, but we have to improve, and we have to improve quickly.
“We’ve allowed them to get points and lift the momentum and spirit around the place. I pride our team on being aggressive and front-footed, but we haven’t shown that today, and that’s disappointing.
“We have two home games now, and we have to get results. Performances are all well and good to talk about, but if you don’t get results, it doesn’t count for anything.”
The Addicks haven’t kept a clean sheet on the road this season and Jones said defensive basics and returning to the team’s principles would be key to turning the run around.
He said: “We’ve got to get to the ball and be bolder, braver and better. At the minute, we’re not. We’ve been poor today, and we’ve been poor in the last three or four games. I thought we played very well against Burnley, but the Cardiff and Stoke games, and this game, have been way off. That’s something I have to change.
“First goal, clean sheet, win the game. Do any two of those and you win the game. We haven’t scored the first goal enough, and we definitely haven’t kept clean sheets enough. If you can’t do that, you have to rely on scoring plenty of goals, and at the minute we aren’t that type of team.”
Jones said the week ahead of the visit of Sheffield United to The Valley would provide time to work on improving, and he added he may consider changes to the line-up.
“We’ve got to turn it around and make sure we’re better in what we do and how we go about our work. I’m glad we have a week, because I’ve got some tough choices to make. I’ve persevered with the same 13 or 14 players, but that has to change. There are others who will be thinking, ‘How do I get a chance?’ So we’ll see.”
Charlton are back in action at The Valley on Saturday, October 24th for the visit of Norwich City. Click here to purchase your tickets now.
