End of Season Player Review: Dusan Tadic

Opinions often vary on Dusan Tadic. Some consider him a waste, not working hard enough and not creative enough. Some love his skill, and believe that on his day, he is our best player. His final stretch of games this season would tell you that the latter group of fans are correct. Tadic, on his day for several straight matches at the end of the year, was a big reason for Saints' success.

Reportedly in a bit of a rift with former Saints manager Ronald Koeman during the season, Tadic began to see less playing time. He finally got his chance, and coming back rested for the final run-in of games looked to be a huge part in his form.

Tadic scored 7 times and assisted 12 times in the Premier League. Six of those assists and two of his goals came in the final five games, That stat tells you how immense and vital he was to the team in the final few games, but it also paints a picture for how he was the rest of the season, which wasn't nearly as good.

Tadic doesn't like to shoot sometimes, and in fact, often times I sat watching Tadic screw up a sitter because he wanted to get the ball on his other foot, rather than just shooting. Tadic does however send in very nice crosses, and is a creative passer and on the ball himself.

With Koeman gone, we may see Tadic stay at Saints and be a new player, hopefully the type of player he was in the final games of last season. Either way, Tadic may be a big player for next season in Europe.

SMM FINAL GRADE: 7/10

SMM Summary: As George Galpin says, Tadic's season correlated with the club's season in a way. Started average, got worse, and then went full world class towards the end of the season. Tadic showed just how good of a player he can be when played correctly and fully-fit. His fitness and commitment are sometimes questioned, but once again, on his day, he is a top player. If Tadic will reaffirm his commitment and stay healthy, he could be a massive player at Saints.