Dusan Tadic was not happy about being dropped against FC Midtjylland in the Europa League and sought a one to one meeting with Ronald Koeman, it could have spelt trouble but the Koeman Touch meant it didn't

After finding himself benched for the trip to FC Midtjylland, Dusan Tadic was not happy, he did not agree with Ronald Koeman's decision that he was not quite fit enough to start the game, he therefore sought a one to one meeting with the manager.

These meetings can go either way, there are some managers who demand that they are the boss and that their word should never be questioned, anyone who dares to do so is given short thrift and put in their place, yes that can work, but what it often does i create a dressing room where the players are wary of the manager and he does not have their respect, the secret of a good manager is knowing when to put your arm around a player and knowing when to give him the hairdryer treatment, when you have two dozen players in your squad they are all different personalities, different nationalities and different temperaments.

Of course you have to be authorative and cannot be seen to favour one player over another, you have to walk a fine line and come out at the end of it with the respec of all, Ronald Koeman seems to be able o do that, that is why the Koeman Touch is so vital to Southampton Football Club.

So when Tadic came to Koeman and asked for a meeting, the Dutch manager welcomed it and used it to not only clear the air, but to strengthen the bond between player, manager and the club.

They discussed Tadic's form and role within the club and the player left lot happier than when he came in and that has benefited Saints.

Speaking to the Daily Echo Koeman explained.

“I had some good discussions with Dusan in the last few weeks.

“He was not happy about some decisions that I took. For example he was on the bench against Midjytlland in the away game but I wasn’t happy about the performance of Dusan and of course, part of that problem, is that he was not really really fresh and he was struggling with his groin problem.

“It was a good conversation because he likes to play always, he likes to train and he is a fantastic professional but sometimes you have to open the eyes of some football players.

“We showed some clips to Dusan about why I was not happy about his performance but that was a good week.

“He is now really fit and you see the difference in the training sessions between now and what it was last year.”

“He had a very good start last year, close to the winter he was struggling and he had difficulties at the end of the season. Now finally he is on his physical level and that’s normal,” reflected Koeman.

“I think it’s always important to have experience of the Premier League and the first season maybe you think you can play all the games but it’s too much, it’s too much, including international duties and travelling. I think he learned a lot about his first season in the Premier League.”

The manager himself was pleased that it was Tadic who instigated the meeting and wanted to talk rather than sulk because things were not going his way, for Tadic showed his character and commitment and there was no feeble excuses from him about his head not being in the right place etc. (My words not Koeman's)

Koeman : “That’s good, I like that people. Of course, everybody likes the player on that level and it was a good open meeting. It was good.

“Sometimes it is good to do that because that can explain a lot of things and it is all about the respect from the manager to a player and a player to the manager.

“Of course, if you are unhappy, don’t keep your mouth shut, talk, put it out of your body, but not every player is like that, sometimes you have more quiet players that keep it for themselves. You have to deal with both characters of players.”

The immediate result was that Tadic returned to the starting line up against Norwich and scored twice and has started to recapture the form he showed a year ago after his arrival, as Koeman stated, his tailing off in the second half of the season was due to a lck of true Premier League fitness and a niggling injury rather than anything else.

Tadic now knows more about the manager's thinking, he will know that there will be games that he may not start for tactical reasons rather than anything else, but he will also know he is a vtal mmber of the squad and tht as he has already shown both last season and this, he can not only score goals but set them up to.

The Koeman Touch has emerged again and shown just why Saints are building something here that has strong foundations and will survive long after Ronald has left, in the meantime though it would be lovely to see him sign a new deal, he is crucial to this club and the direction it is moving, if he did sign a new contract and saw that out, I feel he would be remembered as a trul great Saints manager, at the moment only two names can lay claim to that, Ted Bates & Lawrie Mcmenemy, but Ronald Koeman could change that.

Photo: Action Images

IWOZTHERE added 09:48 - Oct 2 Good to see him back performing. Did Ron MEAN to say he was still suffering from his groin problem for the Midjyt..... game? Surely that's what he was suffering from last season. Is this a recurring problem he has?
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ExiledSupporter added 11:42 - Oct 2 I'd suggest that Adkins deserves more than a passing mention in the great managers of this club role of honour; successive promotions from the '3rd division' to the 'first' was a major achievement that allowed us to become the successful club that we are today, even if tactically he was not at the same standard as RK or MP
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Sanguin added 12:08 - Oct 2 I love the fact that they showed him a few clips to demonstrate why they weren’t happy with his performance. I imagine them using the ‘black box’ to show statistics where he is not running as quickly or as far in games along with specific clips showing the difference in play and ability compared to when he is at his best.
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BoondockSaint added 13:24 - Oct 2 Maybe when Ron was showing film of how effective he was at the beginning of last year and then how his game dropped off in form, he said "Uh, that's because you switched me from the left to the right for some reason and never moved me back." Ron looks at the film again and says "You know, you're absolutely right! Why didn't I notice that before!"
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SaintBrock added 14:25 - Oct 2 Koeman has no favourites? Explain the Pelle situation to me than? Jay is fit enough now to start so why isn't he starting at 9?
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DPeps added 17:12 - Oct 2 SaintBrock - why would RK drop Pelle at the moment? He's scored 3 in the last 3 games he's started, and although he didn't score against Swansea he... 'was integral to his side's success... winning 50% of a team-high eight aerial duels, and was the pick of the Southampton XI when it came to passing stats - making 31 in the opposition half. Of course it was his contribution to the goals that made the biggest impact. His first was a lovely lofted ball for Tadic, whose intended square pass for Mane was deflected in. And he had a big hand in Mane's goal when his strike came off the boot of defender Ashley Williams and arrived at the feet of the impressive Mane, who produced a delightfully composed finish. ' (Saints vs Swansea, BBC report) I'd love to see Jay back but not at the expense of Pelle in the form of his life.

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