Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos says that South Africans expect miracles from Percy Tau, something he says has put the Al Ahly forward under tremendous pressure.
Broos was giving an assessment of how Tau performed for his team at the recently concluded Afcon in Ivory Coast. Tau is reported to be on the verge of earning R2-million a month after his contract was extended until 2028 by the Egyptian giants and CAF Club of the Century.
He’s not like Salah or Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen
SA supporters chastised Tau for missing a penalty in the opening game against Mali. Though he picked himself up and confidently converted from the spotkick against Namibia in the next match, he was criticised for having had a lacklustre tournament in general.
“I still have confidence in Percy Tau,” Broos told Sunday World.
“I think people expect too much from Percy. For me personally, he is a very good player. But all South Africans think that Percy is a man who can decide the game, and no, Percy cannot decide the game all alone.
“Percy, when he plays with full confidence, the level of the team is high because he is a good player. But he will not be the player that will decide the game. He is not Mohamed Salah from Egypt or Victor Osimhen from Nigeria; he is not that kind of player,” Broos added.
“In SA, when you talk about Tau, people get excited. I once said in the media that your best player (Tau) does not play at Al Ahly. Think about it. Again, I am going to repeat, Percy is a good player, and I always wanted him in my team. He played against Namibia, and he played a great game. He also had a good game against Morocco, but he was not decisive; he had chances, but he did not score. So, do not make him the guy who must win all the games for Bafana Bafana.
People expect miracles from him
“When he is not in good shape, everybody is complaining, but for me, I still have confidence in Percy Tau. I know he can take us a level higher. If you are going to judge him, you have to be fair. South Africans just want miracles from him; he cannot give you miracles all the time,” Broos opined further.
