Nathan Jones hits back at his critics after Southampton stunned Man City in Carabao Cup

Southampton manager Nathan Jones has insisted his side are moving in the right direction after their shock 2-0 win over Manchester City – but warned his critics he was no miracle worker.

Jones took charge of Southampton in early November after Ralph Hasenhuttl was sacked after a string of poor results.

The former Luton Town boss has guided the Saints to back-to-back victories in cup competitions after guiding them to the Carabao Cup semi-finals with a deserved 2-0 win over City, but has been criticized for his difficult start in the league.

Southampton boss Nathan Jones hit back at critics after reaching Carabao Cup semi-final

The Saints achieved a surprise 2-0 win over Manchester City at St Mary’s to advance to the last four

Jones claimed he needed more time to turn the club’s fortunes around in the Premier League and quipped that he’s not American magician David Blaine.

“The level of performance has been there in recent games but we’ve wasted stupid goals and didn’t give ourselves any real chances,” Jones told Sky Sports. “It built up and reminded me that I was just getting into the job.

“We only had three Premier League games as we had a day to prepare for the Liverpool game.

“I’m not David Blaine. I understand the frustrations but Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither was a great Southampton team. We are building and on the way.’

Jones claimed Southampton are building under him despite a lack of points in the Premier League

Jones’ start to life on the South Coast was challenging following his appointment.

Southampton remain bottom of the Premier League after losing their first three games after the World Cup break.

Fans had expressed their dissatisfaction during Southampton’s FA Cup win over Crystal Palace after hearing them chant ‘Nathan Jones your football sucks’.

Jones believes Southampton’s back-to-back victories in cup competitions can help build confidence in the league campaign as both triumphs come against Premier League opponents.

“Our cup games have been against Premier League sides,” Jones said. “And we showed that we can keep up. We have to transfer that to the Premier League.

“With all due respect, the previous manager did a wonderful job but they haven’t won many games lately.

Jones called for an “element of realism” at Southampton to change their dynamic

“We had to change the dynamic and changing the dynamic of a club is really difficult.

“You have to be really strong and motivated. You have to be clear about how you want to play. And sometimes you have to take it a bit literally. I had to do this.

“I’m looking forward to the challenge. Elsewhere I would like an element of realism. If we get that, we can do something there.’

Southampton have an important series of games ahead of them, with Jones’ side traveling to 18th Everton in a crunch match at the bottom of the table on Saturday.