Star Bafana Bafana forward Percy Tau is going through turbulent times at Club Brugge in Belgium but his national team coach Molefi Ntseki is confident that the ex-Mamelodi Sundowns talisman will bounce back in no time.
Ntseki admitted that he is concerned about Tau’s lack of fitness at club level but has no doubt that he will be back to his best.
Tau has struggled for fitness at Brugge and hasn’t featured regularly of late.
“Look, it is a worry for every player that you have in Bafana Bafana if he is not playing at club level,” Ntseki admitted in a recent interview with the media at Harry Gwala Stadium in Pietermaritzburg.
“It becomes an issue and it becomes a problem because you want to see your players playing regularly.
"You want to see your players affecting the game wherever they are.
"You want to see your players defending in terms of the defensive roles. You want to see them scoring goals or assisting whenever they are in an offensive role.
“If you have a players who is not playing you become worried,” he added.
The majestic Tau has played a plenty of football over the past eight months for club and country.
“In this case, I think Percy Tau overloaded himself by playing the Uefa Champions League and trying very hard and at the same time coming in to the national team and also trying very hard,” Ntseki said.
“The game we played against Ghana in Ghana and the one we played against Sudan in South Africa, if you look at the programme, it took a lot of energy out of our players. Most of them struggled when they went back to their teams overseas because South Africa is different.
“If you are from Ghana, it will be less than six hours to get to any European country where you are playing.
"If you are in South Africa, it is 12 plus hours to get to your team. The travelling itself, the load that you put in to your game, also affects some of our players,” he added.
Tau is the main source of goals for Bafana up front. When Bafana are in dire situations, they know they have Tau to rescue them. He thrives in big moments. It is in his character to rise to the big occasion and Ntseki doesn’t doubt that Tau will hit form soon.
“Percy is a professional. I can tell you now, wherever he is, he is working very hard to get to that level because he is a very disciplined individual who is very committed to his game.”
Tau is set for another busy six months.
Brugge will be campaigning in the Europa League, where they will face Manchester United in the last 32.
Brugge are also at the summit of the Belgian league. They are 10 points clear of second placed Gent. The title is theirs to lose at this stage. Brugge are in line to win a double as they are also in the semi-finals of the Belgian Cup.
Tau has an opportunity to end the season on a high note by bagging two pieces of silverware.
@minenhlecr7
The Star
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