Exclusive Interview: Dusan Tadic on Puel, Saints' form & his future

While managers and players alike have come and gone at Southampton in recent years for now the creativity of Dusan Tadic has remained. Now being utilised under a new manager in Claude Puel, we took the chance to speak to the Serbian after an excellent start to the season for both club and country about his form on both fronts and working under the new manager.

Having endured a tough start to the season, with just two points from four matches in the league, Southampton are back to their usual trick of defying the odds after another summer of change and Tadic confirmed that it took time to take on the new manager's approach.

"I think with time we are adapting better and better but we know that we still need more time to adapt to his ideas, as is always the case when a new coach comes. I think that now everything is going well, but that we can still do better than this and I'm sure that things will continue to improve as the season goes on."

Having played under Ronald Koeman, who is renowned for instilling great discipline into his sides, we asked what the main differences have been under Puel. "It's difficult to say," Tadic replied. "Both of them are very good coaches. Maybe Claude goes into more depth in the details and likes to analyse the game more. They are two different characters, of course."

Puel and the club as a whole are keen exponents of the use of statistics in football, and Tadic has certainly seen their value since his arrival. "Stats are really important in football. They don't show everything of course, but they show many things and many aspects of our game. As time goes on, football stats will achieve more and gain greater importance because experts like you [WhoScored] can help us players to explore the details of what we do. This is very important and useful for us to improve. I can say that we are very happy with how football stats are improving and analysing more and more aspects of our style of play."

Tadic's new manager has been utilising such analysis to develop a different system to that of Koeman, and one that has seen the playmaker deployed in a more central role. It's already reaping the benefits, with Tadic having created the most chances in the Premier League having arrived on she south coast with the 'assist king' moniker from his time in Holland.

He said of the importance of creating chances for others, "I think my style of play is just like that: I always like making a lot of assists and to create chances. It doesn't matter where I play. To me the most important thing is to be on the ball, to have lot of possession, but I don't care about the position. What I care about is being important for my team on the pitch, wherever that may be."

He's certainly been that this season, and key to getting the best out of the likes of Austin and Redmond further upfield, but remains modest regarding his form. "I'm a perfectionist and I always want to improve. I would never say I'm at my best, because I think it's always possible to play better. So I always give my all in order to show all my qualities to the supporters so that they see I'm working hard."

Tadic speaks fondly of the Saints fans, stating "I have a really nice relationship with the supporters, ever since they first sung my name at the stadium. I always want them to be happy with what I do on the pitch so we can enjoy it togheter. I want to bring them joy and I think that now we are doing well."

Southampton are unbeaten in seven, and once again gaining admirers for their adaptability. Their next task is to continue that form into tonight's big game in San Siro with Inter, and the team are excited at the prospect of playing at one of Europe's most iconic stadia.

"It's a pleasure to have the opportunity to play against a big team like Inter in a stadium like San Siro," Tadic conformed. "I hope the fans will enjoy it and we are able to give them good football and to play a good match."

Inter are approaching the game in far less favourable form but Tadic isn't taking anything for granted against the Italian giants. "Sometimes big teams are not in good form, this can happen in football: but these are the moments when clubs like Inter usually have a reaction. We need to be ready to face this reaction and we want to try to win."

This desire to perform is something that many clubs are perhaps guilty of lacking in the Europa League but the Saints man understands the priorities. "For everyone in England the most important competition is the Premier League. It's a tough competition, with 20 good teams always ready to fight; it's a championship where, if you relax for one moment, you can immediately drop down the table. Because of this all of us are more focused on our domestic league. But on the other hand we want to go as far as possible in every competition we play, at home and in Europe: so we will give 100% against Inter and in this Europa League campaign in order to go the furthest possible."

Going as far as possible is key to Tadic in every aspect of his career, not least with the Serbian national side, with whom he confirms it's important to represent at a major international tournament. With Tadic already cutting a key figure for the side, he thinks Serbia are now heading in the right direction having confirmed that this talented group have underachieved in recent years.

"It's difficult to explain why we have struggled in the past: sometimes even if you think you are a good team, even if you have good players, there's something missing. But I think that now we have a very good coach with Serbia who is putting everything in the right place. This has now been our best start to a qualifying campaign, we have played well and we want to continue that form in the future."

Tadic's own future is something that will surely come under scrutiny if he continues to perform so well, not least because of the nature of Southampton's transfer model, and he confirmed that you never know what might happen in football.

"You always think about your future when you are a football player. And you're always aware of what's happening around you. I always see what happens: I have a new contract, but in football you can never know what's around the corner."

For the time being at least, the fans can take solace in the fact that Tadic is enjoying his time at St. Mary's. "Now I'm very happy here, with the supporters, my teammates, the manager and staff and I will always give my best for Southampton."

At his best, there's no doubt Dusan Tadic will be key to the aspirations of both his club and country.

What have you made of Tadic's performances this season? Let us know in the comments in the below