Dusan Tadic Admits 'Shame' as Saints Fall Apart Against West Ham in Relegation Clash
Southampton midfielder Dusan Tadic admitted he felt 'ashamed' following the Saints' 3-0 defeat against West Ham at the London Stadium on Saturday.
The visitors found themselves two goals down within 20 minutes, in a game where they really needed to turn up and get a result. With both sides fighting for Premier League survival, Southampton sitting in the drop zone before kick-off, the match was crucial in the battle against the drop - and it was West Ham who showed up and got the job done.
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The newly appointed Mark Hughes watched on as his side failed to land a shot on target during the 90 minutes. With only two touches inside the West Ham penalty box in the first half, Southampton were already out of the game at half time as they found themselves three goals down.
After the game Tadic spoke honestly and took full responsibility on behalf of his teammates for their pitiful display on Saturday afternoon.
“We feel ashamed," Tadic admitted, as quoted by the Mirror.
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"It’s a very bad feeling and we have to take responsibility. It’s just our mistakes, all of the players, it’s just our fault."
The midfielder, who has been at the club since 2014, urged his teammates to face up to their problems and realise the situation that they are in.
“We need to be men. We need to take responsibility and know what kind of situation we are in. I’ve been here when we had the best results of all time for Southampton, and personally I feel very ashamed. It’s a very tough moment. When you’re 2-0 down after 15 minutes in such a big game, it’s not possible to win.
“I’ve never felt this bad before – this is one of the worst moments of my career. We have to show we are men, we have to fight. Obviously something’s wrong. By this I mean something with me and all the players," he continued.
West Ham headed into the game on the end of a trio of consecutive heavy defeats, conceding 11 goals in their last three Premier League fixtures. The home side were in terrible form themselves, and Southampton had the opportunity to go there and add to the Hammers' misery, on the high of having just progressed to the semi finals of the FA Cup.
But the Saints success was kept to the cup competition, as they again failed to record a league win - with none since early February - leaving them in the drop zone with seven games remaining.
“It’s not the fault of the coach, it’s not the fault of the fans, it’s not the fault of anyone else but us," Tadic said.
“I thought we had lifted ourselves by reaching the FA Cup semi-finals, but this is a real knockdown for me personally and all the players."
