A tactical switch by coach Pitso Mosimane has seen Percy Tau tear up the goalscoring charts for Al Ahly in the Egyptian Premier League this season.
Tau shot to prominence as a winger, marauding down the opposite flank before cutting in onto his stronger left foot, where he could either tee up a teammate or take a shot at goal.
This is a position he has played for Mamelodi Sundowns, Anderlecht, Club Brugge, Brighton and Hove Albion as well as Bafana Bafana – until now.
A tactical tweak from Mosimane, who has honed the 27-year-olds prodigious skills has seen the Witbank-born attacker find the back of the net with regularity for the Red Eagles despite only recently joining the team.
Contrary to popular belief, Mosimane is of the opinion that Tau is better suited as a number nine than as a winger and as a result, Tau has scored five goals in six matches so far.
"When he's with the national team, he plays on the side. Here he plays as a striker," Mosimane told journalists after his side's 4-1 drubbing of Smouha on Thursday.
"Percy is a number nine; Percy is not a winger! There are games that Sherif is very good in, like Zamalek because he understands the league but there are games that we might not use him as a nine," he explained.
Tau is currently the joint top goalscorer in the Egyptian Premier League, tied on six goals with Zamalek's Zizou, although the latter holds the edge with three assists to his name.
