Southampton’s displays under Ronald Koeman have been one of the success stories of 2014/15 so far. Few believed the Saints were capable of replicating last term’s eight-placed finish after a handful of their leading lights followed Mauricio Pochettino through the exit door but Koeman’s canny dealings in the transfer market have steered his side into third spot after seven rounds of fixtures.
Whilst Graziano Pelle has hit the ground running as a replacement for Rickie Lambert, fellow new boy Dusan Tadic has yet step out of Adam Lallana’s 2013/14 shadow. The latter served up 178 points in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game last year, courtesy of nine goals, nine assists and 20 bonus points, whereas Tadic – who arrived on the back of 28 goals and 29 assists in his two seasons with FC Twente – has mustered just a trio of assists so far.
With spot-kick and dead-ball duties in his favour, the Serbian playmaker certainly has the upcoming fixtures to improve. Home showdowns against Sunderland, Stoke and Leicester, allied with trips to Hull and Villa in the next five, look tailor-made for the 7.5-priced, 2%-owned midfielder to finally make an impact before the schedule takes a turn for the worse in Gameweek 13.
With that in mind, we compare Tadic’s displays to Lallana’s from last season and also cast an eye over his displays relative to this term’s main men in the midfield bracket.
