18 Jan 2015 06:08:48
All the pundits keep on raving about Tadic and his skills and assists, may be it's me but I can't remember him having a good game ( or 55 - 60 minutes ) since Sunderland. He seems a bit lightweight, I am wondering once Mane gets back and the revelation that is Elia playing out of his skin whether he will get in the side. Thoughts chaps ? Can't see him wanting to sit on the bench.

1.) 18 Jan 2015
I agree, he also looks much less defensively sound than some others.
i think its clear he has quality, we will need a squad, not just 11 so he will be involved

2.) 18 Jan 2015
Tadic is a bit lightweight for me, and for some unknown reason is taking his time releasing the obvious pass, maybe he's carrying a knock or something, but not the box of tricks he was at the start of the season.
I am hoping this season isn't wasted and Saints get into Europe in some shape of form as they have deserved it.

3.) 19 Jan 2015
I think Tadic has been particularly poor for a long while now. Anyone can go through a slump in form and he's clearly got bags of ability, but what I can't abide is the impression that a player is just not giving his all.

Tadic often appears utterly indifferent, just going through the motions. I can't think of many, if any, instances in recent months where he's wrestled possession off an opponent, won a 50:50 challenge, out-paced a full back. He just sort of plods along, doing his thing, until it gets difficult, someone hustles him and then he loses the ball without so much as a whimper.

With most players, there are situations where you see them chase down a lost cause or contest a bouncing ball where they're perhaps second favourite (a bit like Elia's second goal yesterday) where you still hold some kind of hope that the Saints guy will come out on top occasionally - even if only due to the law of averages.

I never feel that with Tadic. If the opponent has any chance of winning the ball, they will. Every time. At least in recent months. He literally gave up when running clean through at Ipswich last week once the defender caught up to his shoulder.

I thought when he scored at United and ripped his shirt off and gestured to the crowd, that he must be trying to prove a point; perhaps he'd had a rocket from the manager. Perhaps the penny had dropped and we were about to see a hungrier, more aggressive, more shirtless-muscle-flexy Tadic.

But no. In the post match interviews he admitted he had no idea why he celebrated the way he did. It was just one of those things. Indifferent to the last.

I'm still hopeful he can turn it around - his early season form wasn't a fluke - but it'd be a shame if his first campaign with Saints just petered out meekly. He's better than his recent form, but if he can't raise his game he's going to find himself out of the first XI once Mane and (fingers crossed) Rodriguez return.

4.) 21 Jan 2015
He annoyed me against Newcastle as he was going down far too easily but played well against Utd did well against Arsenal too, but he didn't do a lot vs Ipswich or Newcastle