Orlando Pirates are very much part of the PSL’s ‘big three’ but in recent years have underwhelmed considerably, and owe their popularity to past glory, writes Herman Gibbs.
Cape Town – Orlando Pirates are very much part of the PSL’s “big three” but in recent years have underwhelmed considerably, and owe their popularity to past glory.
In 1995, Pirates scripted one of the most fascinating stories in South African football when it made its debut in the Caf Champions League and against great odds went on to win the title.
Eight years went by before the Buccaneers again came within a whisker of repeating that feat, but defending champions Al Ahly of Egypt denied them.
On Friday, Pirates will resume their Premiership season against Mamelodi Sundowns in Pretoria.
The match will mark the restart of the league season.
Pirates are in fifth place on the league standings after 13 matches. They are nine points adrift of log-leaders Mamelodi Sundowns who are on 28 points after 12 matches.
This lowly position is in keeping with their finish at the end of the 2021/22 season when they ended in sixth place.
Under Spanish coach Jose Riveiro, Pirates are a better team than they were last year except that results cannot back that up.
Riveiro arrived in June with no track record of winning trophies with any of the Spanish and Finnish clubs he worked with previously.
Five months into his tenure, he guided Pirates to the MTN8 title after defeating AmaZulu in the final.
He was in line for a double, but Pirates were whipped 4-0 by Sundowns in the Black Label Cup final a week later.
It may be worth his while for Riveiro to look at the notes he prepared for their match against Sundowns in October.
The occasion was the second leg of the MTN8 semi-finals in Polokwane and Pirates claimed a morale-boosting 3-0 win.
This result made a mockery of the notion that Sundowns are in a league of their own.
The players that will carry the candle for Pirates:
Olisa Ndah, the Nigerian international, is probably one of the first players on the list when Riveiro sits down to ponder his starting line-up for Friday.
He has been a source of stability in central defence, which can form the bedrock for winning more trophies and sustained success this season.
Miguel Timm has proved to be a reliable midfielder after his move from Marumo Gallants.
He has produced several inspirational performances for Pirates and has also caught the eye of Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos.
His tactical awareness and ability to control the pace of the game has made him a regular choice in the starting team.
Left-footed defender Innocent Maela has been flying under the radar, but he has been instrumental in ensuring the team sticks to Riveiro’s blueprint.
He leads from the front and has proved a worthy successor to veteran hardman Happy Jele who had been at the club for more than 15 years.
With the MTN8 title already in the bag, what will make the Ghost happier at the end of the season?
With Pirates out of the continental competitions after surprising all and sundry by reaching the Caf Confederation Cup final last season, the focus will be on the league.
Since Sundowns are running away with the league title, the fight is on for second place, and that will be Pirates’ objective.
That focus may change significantly if Sundowns suffer shock defeats and surrender top spot.
During the World Cup break, Pirates brought in reinforcements by signing Ndumiso Mabena and Craig Martin.
The well-travelled Mabena is an attacking midfielder and could be the answer to the goal-shy forwards who were unable to exploit scoring opportunities.
It is not certain how Pirates will use Martin, but his pace could be useful when the team counter-attacks.
He is dangerous when picking up second balls and poses a threat when stalking into the striking zone.
The biggest concern at Pirates has been the lack of converting goalscoring opportunities.
Mabena and Martin may come up trumps when Pirates address this deficiency.
@Herman_Gibbs
