Dusan Tadic has drawn the wrath of Robert Maaskant after a striking interview with NU.nl The 37-year-old NEC forward openly criticised the level of his team-mates on Friday, prompting a fierce response from Maaskant. Vurnon Anita also has little sympathy for the remarks made by the experienced former Ajax player. The analysts expect Tadic to land in trouble over his comments.
Tadic spoke at length in the interview about his time at Ajax, where he grew into one of the club's most important players between 2018 and 2023. The Serbian spoke warmly about his former club, but was far less positive about the quality of his current team-mates at NEC.
One line in particular has caused a stir as Tadic laid out the gap in level between himself and his fellow players. "It is more difficult to have lesser players around you. I regularly make preparatory actions and do not get the ball. Or I do not get it back. Then apparently my brain works too fast," the veteran said.
Criticism of Tadic's remarks quickly spread across social media. Friday's edition of NOS Studio Sport Voetbal also spent plenty of time on the interview, with both Anita and Maaskant critical of the forward's attitude.
Anita does not expect Tadic's words to pass without consequences inside the NEC squad. "I do not think this will be received with open arms at NEC," replied the former Netherlands and Curaçao international. "I think this will go around the dressing room and the lads will speak to him about it. This cannot happen."
Maaskant clearly shares Anita's criticism and goes a step further. "I hope so. I really hope there are personalities in that NEC dressing room who say: ‘Mate, shut your mouth for a moment and show it yourself first,’" replied the former manager of NAC Breda, FC Groningen and Helmond Sport, among others.
For Maaskant, Tadic crossed a line by judging his team-mates in public. "These are not comments you make about your team-mates."