Pirates pitch up late at the races
What a difference a month makes. It was 21 December, on the dot, when Orlando Pirates beat Black Leopards 3-1 in their first match under Josef Zinnbauer, with Rulani Mokwena pulling what looked, frankly, like a massive sulk on the bench, his dismal stint in charge at the Buccaneers having come to an abrupt end.
Josef Zinnbauer coach of Orlando Pirates during Absa Premiership match between Orlando Pirates and Black Leopards at Orlando Stadium (Pic BackpagePix)
These days Mokwena is nowhere to be seen at Pirates, albeit that he is still apparently there, and Zinnbauer, along with Fadlu Davids, has transformed Pirates’ fortunes to such an extent that there are now some optimistic fans even writing into Phakaaathi suggesting they can catch Kaizer Chiefs and win the Absa Premiership.
A glance at the table sees the Buccaneers still some 12 points behind Chiefs, with 12 games left to play, but there does seem every chance that they can challenge for second spot, should Mamelodi Sundowns be distracted by Caf Champions League action, and should Bidvest Wits lose steam in their own bid for the title.
Pirates always had the foundations, of course, to mount a title challenge, evidenced by their second-placed finishes over the past couple of seasons. Under Milutin Sredojevic’s experienced hand, they gave Sundowns a real run for their money, though Masandawana’s class ultimately told.
But there were signs even before Sredojevic’s departure this season that Pirates were in for a rocky road in 2019/20. For starters, the club signed far too many new players for a squad seeking stability. If you have a squad that is there or thereabouts, what on earth are you doing bringing in so many new faces? A comparison could be made here with Liverpool, who pushed Manchester City all the way last season, changed little, and are now romping away with the English Premier League.
Sure, Pirates needed to beef up their squad a bit, with the Caf Champions League to play in, but this was overkill, and looked even worse when Pirates got knocked out of the Champions League before the group stages. Sredojevic’s sudden departure, in the middle of that Champions League qualifier, also didn’t help, and Mokwena, as a young coach, certainly needs to be given some leeway in the sense that it just didn’t work out for him in his first stint as a head coach at any club.
The man who has Pirates seeping through his veins, however, didn’t help himself by using tactics that steered away from the solid base laid by Sredojevic. Never have I seen a side as vulnerable on the counter-attack as I did when watching Mokwena’s Pirates, who seemed intent to attack, with a rather daft disregard for their duties in defence.
As the results kept on not coming, it was hard to see what Pirates chairman Irvin Khoza could do, and there must be some wondering now whether he shouldn’t have brought in Zinnbauer a bit sooner, so impressive have the results been thus far. With four wins in five matches (and one draw) Pirates are the form team, and striker Gabadinho Mhango is tearing up the league.
Pirates still have their moments at the back, and seem reluctant to keep too many clean sheets – even the one they did against Sundowns.
On a more sombre note, all at Phakaaathi would like to offer condolences to Dr Irvin Khoza, his entire family and all at Orlando Pirates on the passing of his wife, Ausi Mantwa Khoza. May she rest in peace.
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