Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Will homeboy Tau have his dancing shoes on tonight?
A marvel to watch but ‘Percy, you can’t keep on missing’
AS a precursor to what might be waiting at the end of today’s grand finale, Percy Tau burst into a mini dance in a Babes Wodumo like fashion.
It was music to Tau’s ears that Mamelodi Sundowns and Wits will clash in his province when they battle it out in the MTN8 final at Mbombela Stadium today.
“It will be good for the province for somebody from Witbank winning the MTN8 in Mpumalanga,” said Tau, who hails from the region.
But before Tau and his teammates can burst into dance, they first have to break the rhythm of Wits and gyrate their way past Gavin Hunt’s men, who are keen on silencing the on- song Brazilians.
Sundowns and Wits have been neck and neck for silverware in recent seasons.
This campaign, the Clever Boys look very strong and Tau is aware that Pitso Mosimane’s men won’t have a carnival this afternoon.
“It’s going be an interesting final playing Wits. They play different from the teams that we have played like Chippa United and SuperSport United,” he said.
“We will plan for that. We are also cautious about who they are. They are Wits. I think they are also cautious about who we are. It’s going to be interesting and I hope we will win,” added Tau, who stressed the need not to be big- headed.
“We respect teams and we are very humbled to play against those teams. I don’t think we have that perception that we say we can beat everybody.
“We say let’s focus on this game and try and get the positive results that we are looking for. Winning is a culture. We have to win games. We are a big team. At times, we are not judged on the play but on results.”
Tau has worked tirelessly to force his way into the Sundowns starting XI after returning from Witbank Spurs, where he spent the better part of last season on loan.
Since his return, Tau has proved a vital member of the team who qualified for the final of the CAF Champions League. The 22- year- old attacker scored the second goal in their 2- 0 win over Zesco United last weekend.
He has gained massive experience playing in the continental showpiece and will compete for a starting place with seasoned campaigners. But Tau knows that he can’t rest on his laurels.
“It’s difficult to actually make a statement with the group that we have. We have a top group of good players, best players in my opinion. I can’t make a statement that I will actually be in the team,” he said.
Recently, Tau has been a marvel to watch with his brilliant movements, flair and skill. However, his goal return has not been as impressive, but he is working on it.
“I do a lot of extra training on finishing, to say, ‘Percy, you can’t keep on missing because people lose confidence’. Even the coach, how will he trust you if you keep on missing the goals?” said Tau, a graduate of the Sundowns academy.
“It’s also part of football that you will score and you will miss. It’s just a step that if I miss, I will come back and I will score.”
Tau believes a win over Wits will go a long way for Downs, who have another big final coming up in two weeks times.
“Winning will give us the confidence to say you can go to Egypt and still do well. If we win we become confident in the plan,” said Tau.
Mosimane will be hoping that the attacking midfielder has his scoring boots on against Wits.
Who will have the ultimate dance tonight – Sundowns or Wits? A song of celebration and lamentation awaits either team.