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Dusan Tadic has a new role under Southampton boss Claude Puel and has stepped up to become the club’s key creator. Ahead of Saints’ clash with Burnley on Super Sunday, we look at his impact for club and country…
When Tadic tucked away Serbia’s winner over Austria last Sunday, the Southampton man preserved a remarkable streak.
Previously exiled from international duty after Serbia failed to qualify for Euro 2016, he has returned in style under new boss Slavoljub Muslin, scoring or assisting each of his country’s last 10 goals.
It’s a stunning turnaround for the Saints winger, and is the main reason why Muslin’s side currently top World Cup qualifying Group D ahead of Wales.
“I almost burst into tears when the whole stadium started chanting my name at the end of the game,” Tadic said after the 3-2 victory over the Austrians.
“It doesn’t matter who’s getting the assists and the goals, the important thing is that we are winning. Muslin has deployed the right strategy and we’re only going to get better.”
The former Twente player has also stepped up at St Mary’s following the departures of Sadio Mane, Victor Wanyama and Graziano Pelle.
It was another summer of transition on the south coast and some thought the talented Serb could leave too, but new boss Claude Puel sold his vision to Tadic, who signed a four-year contract extension in early August.
In his first few weeks at the club, Puel made it clear he had big plans for the attacker, saying: "I think Tadic is interesting in his position because he can turn and go quickly.
"He can give good passes for the striker. He wants to make progress all the time in the games step by step.
“I’m sure that Dusan is going to make a very good season.”
His fine finish against West Ham was his first goal of the season, and perhaps surprisingly, the man who twice set up three goals in one game last season is yet to provide an assist this term. But stats can be deceiving.
Dig a little deeper and you find Tadic has created 22 chances for team-mates in the league to date, behind only Willian (23) and Jason Puncheon (24), and no player has created more than the Serb from open play (20 chances created).
Southampton initially struggled to adapt to Puel’s diamond formation, with Tadic in an unfamiliar central role, and did not record their first league win under mid-September against Swansea.
“This is a new system for everyone,” Tadic said after defeat to Arsenal on September 10. "I used to play normally in a 4-2-3-1 system and I can play in all three positions, left, right or number 10.
“For me, it doesn’t matter which position I play, the most important is I play where the ball is, because I like to be on the ball.”
The appointment of Puel, a Premier League novice, and his subsequent poor start tempered expectations at a club becoming used to consistent improvement, and a spat between Tadic and Charlie Austin over a first-half penalty against Sparta Prague had the potential to be seized upon by those looking for signs of discontent.
But Austin scored and Tadic impressed as the Saints ran out comfortable 3-0 winners, and it’s a result that has proved something of a turning point.
Since then, Puel’s side are unbeaten, having kept six consecutive clean sheets, with Burnley next at home before a mouthwatering clash with Serie A giants Inter Milan in the San Siro next Thursday.
It’s reward for a fantastic campaign under previous boss Ronald Koeman, and while many of the stars of that team have departed, along with the manager, crucially Tadic remains.
Now 27, he is committed to Southampton through the peak years of his career. Not that he’s resting on his laurels.
“I’m that kind of person who likes always to improve myself and I think I can play much, much better as well as my team,” he said.
"You try to push yourself much more and I will try to improve further and cause more danger for opponents to make our fans happy.
“You want to show your best in every game and in training. You always need to be looking to improve your game to help your team take points.”
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