Bafana Bafana coach Stuart Baxter has warned his squad that they can’t expect star man Percy Tau to do it all at Afcon.
Baxter was not happy with his team’s work in the first half of their warm-up game against Ghana in Dubai on Sunday.
With what would be considered a “first-XI” selection, Tau struggled to cause the Black Stars any problems in the attacking third.
And coach Baxter put that down to the lack of defensive discipline of Tau’s teammates, as he fell back to help his team out of trouble.
The Brit says: “I’m always impressed with Percy because his attitude is spot on.
Bafana Bafana arriving for their first training session in Cairo, Egypt on Tuesday afternoon pic.twitter.com/4RoiMHWtK7
— Bafana Bafana (@BafanaBafana) June 18, 2019
“We asked him to play a slightly different role and our midfield players and defenders did not defend the way we wanted them to, which meant Percy got dragged back.
“So in the second half we defended better further up the field and therefore people like Themba Zwane and [Lebohang] Maboe were dangerous further up the field. That’s what we wanted from him.”
WARNING: Stuart Baxter, left. Photo: Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix.
Bafana, who arrived in the Land of the Pharaohs on Tuesday, will play their final preparation friendly against Angola on Wednesday ahead of their tournament opener against Ivory Coast on Monday.
Bafana Bafana warming up before training at Aero Sports Center in Cairo, Egypt on Tuesday afternoon. pic.twitter.com/KuZer648xC
— Bafana Bafana (@BafanaBafana) June 18, 2019
And the former Kaizer Chiefs boss urged his manne to pull up their socks before they need to have step it up for the tournament proper.
Baxter adds: “We are not fully ready but we will be.
“We have another game against Angola and then with the trainings we have in between before the Ivory Coast game, we should then be ready.”