Although Bafana Bafana won a bronze medal at the Africa Cup of Nations, talisman Percy Tau did not live up to expectations, and Kickoff takes a look at the reasons.
With Bafana dominated by locally-based players, Tau was expected to carry the hopes of the nation on his shoulders and play a leading role at the biennial showpiece in Ivory Coast.
However, 'The Lion of Judah' had a poor showing by the standards he has set for himself at the national team.
The 29-year-old had a bad start in the tournament after he missed a crucial penalty against Mali, which led to the Eagles beating South Africa 2-0 in their opening game.
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And although the Al Ahly forward made up for it by converting another spot-kick in a 4-0 win over Namibia, he continued to play a peripheral figure, as the likes of Teboho Mokoena, Sphephelo Sithole, Themba Zwane and goalkeeper Ronwen Williams rose to the occasion.
Tau was conspicuous by his absence in Bafana's penalty shootout win over Democratic Republic of Congo in the third place play-off game, as he undoubtedly had a tournament to forget, despite Hugo Broos' charges clinching a podium finish.
Upon closer look, the former Mamelodi Sundowns star forward already had a packed schedule with his club Al Ahly before the AFCON, having already been involved in six club competitions this season.
The Bafana Bafana forward had to play firstly the CAF Super Cup in September last year for the Red Devils against USM Alger, after the Egyptian giants won the CAF Champions League last season, a final which was held in Saudi Arabia.
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And just after the Egyptian Premier League started, Al Ahly had to play the African Football League between October and November last year, where they had to travel to East Africa to play against Simba and a long trip down South to face Sundowns, who eliminated them in the quarter-finals.
Before the AFL, the Red Devils also participated in the CAF Champions League preliminary rounds and after the African Super League, they played CAF Champions League matches.
Following the already jam-packed schedule, Al Ahly jetted off to Saudi Arabia to participate in the FIFA Club World Cup in December, where Tau started in all their games en route to them claiming a bronze medal.
A few days after returning from the Club World Cup, Al Ahly played in the Egyptian Super Cup, where the former Brighton and Hove Albion forward started in the two games from the semi-finals, where they won the silverware.
With such a hectic schedule, it was always going to be tough for Tau to maintain a level of freshness, with no rest in between, before joining Bafana camp in Stellenbosch ahead of the AFCON tournament.
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