Ayanda Patosi is not an easy character to manage. He's fragile and vulnerable, yet immensely talented.
Patosi (25) is one of those football creatures that experience immense frustration when the coach takes an agonisingly long time to gauge the player's appetite and readiness for a game.
His coach at Cape Town City, Benni McCarthy, has attested to that on many occasions.
What's even more intriguing is that Patosi's football talent is undeniably great. He delivers when he's in the mood and disappoints when his mind wanders.
He's got a tendency to drift in and out of games but is prone to deliver in big matches or against so-called big guns. He did exactly that against Orlando Pirates in a midweek Absa Premiership match in which he scored a brace to deny Bucs a victory that looked certain when they took a 2-0 half-time lead at Orlando Stadium.
That man-of-the-match performance in his first full match of the season was perhaps a signal that Patosi was sending a message to coach McCarthy, saying he deserves to start in Saturday's MTN8 final at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban against SuperSport United.
McCarthy failed to appreciate Patosi's hunger for a game last season, and left him as an unused substitute when they lost 4-2 on penalties in what was a similar cup final at the same venue last season.
After that loss McCarthy was blamed for leaving Patosi on the bench instead of sending him on to kill off the game - which had gone to half-time with City leading 1-0 after Sibusiso Masina's goal.
Thabo Mnyamane cancelled Masina's goal 11 minutes from time, leaving McCarthy with many questions to answer regarding Patosi's exclusion.
Patosi, who has scored three goals in 12 matches for Bafana Bafana, joined the Citizens at the beginning of last season, having enjoyed an admirable stint with Belgian club KSC Lokeren, where he scored 24 goals in more than 160 matches.
It's doubtful that McCarthy, who was a novice in his job last season, will find a reason to leave Patosi out this time around.
At least that's not what one of Patosi's admirers, Stanton Fredericks, would recommend. Fredericks, now a pundit, was McCarthy's teammate when they were both in the Under-23 national team.
"I think, with the greatest respect - because I didn't like being criticised when I was a player - if Patosi manages to lose extra weight he could easily be one of the best players in our league. Easily," said Fredericks, echoing many who believe in Patosi's understated capabilities.
Patosi's inconsistency has also seen him missing out on many occasions the chance to add to his Bafana caps, though a cup final display akin to the one he dished out against Pirates may tempt Bafana coach Stuart Baxter to recruit him for next month's back-to-back Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Seychelles.
Standing in for McCarthy, who had to take time off after his wife fell ill on Wednesday night, assistant coach Vasili Manousakis was full of praise for Patosi's performance and his importance for City's attack.
"Pato (Patosi) gives us a lot of advantages from set pieces, week in and week out," said Manousakis. "His delivery is unbelievable and probably one of the best in the league.
"He's one of the best number 10s in this league. When you look at losing Lebo Manyama in that position and you look around, it's no one else but Ayanda Patosi who can fill that gap."
Like Fredericks, Manousakis highlights Patosi's fitness and weight problems as among his main challenges.
"With Pato it's really just a fitness issue. He's trying to work hard, he's working hard and he's lost two kilos. We've seen some improvement in his body fat. He's not the quickest player in the PSL by a long shot, but he's still deadly in front of goals."
Patosi will be fully aware of the condition he needs to be in to avoid the disappointment of last year, when he couldn't do anything to help the Citizens win their second trophy in two years.
5 QUICK FACTS TO IMPRESS YOUR MATES AHEAD OF THE MTN 8 FINAL
ONE
SuperSport striker Bradley Grobler goes to this year's MTN 8 as leading scorer with three goals after scoring three times against Kaizer Chiefs in the semi finals
TWO
Moses Mabhida Stadium will be hosting the MTN 8 final for the fifth time this year
THREE
Kaizer Chiefs have no peers in the number of top-eight cups they have won since it was launched in 1972. They have won it 15 times followed by Orlando Pirates with nine
FOUR
This will be Benni McCarthy's second cup final as a head coach after losing the same trophy to SuperSport United last season
FIVE
SuperSport United goalkeeper Ronwen Williams saved Judas Moseamedi and Lyle Lakay's spot kicks when they won the trophy 4-2 on penalties last season
SIX
The top goalscorer since the competition was sponsored by MTN is winger Daine Klate with seven..