Orlando Pirates legend Andies Sebola has blamed Yanela Mbuthuma following the team’s 1-1 draw with Siwelele on Saturday.
The 24-year-old has struggled for goals recently which has seen the fans turn on him. In their previous encounter against Richards Bay, Mbuthuma was booed by some of the Pirates supporters.
Sebola feels the striker could hamper the Buccaneers‘ chances of winning the title.
“Yeah, missed chances. They created a lot of chances, ball possession – those were on their side. You could see that the Siwelele were there to use the counter-attack to get the goal, which they got. After that, they started defending, he told Soccer Laduma.
Mbuthuma on the spotlight in Pirates
Sebola said the Buccaneers made a big mistake when they loaned out Tshegofatso Mabasa to Stellenbosch in January.
“Pirates missed chances. And you can see that those chances that are created by (Relebohile) Mofokeng and (Oswin) Appollis, they don’t find the right person, the striker, who can finish those chances. Because [Yanela] Mbuthuma, his first touch is very poor. The boy is getting many chances each and every game, but he’s missing all those chances,” he added.
“I think Pirates have made a big mistake by releasing Tshegofatso Mabasa to Stellenbosch. Because he was a box striker who can finish all the chances. His first touch was good during the time when he was still at Pirates, but now with Mbuthuma, it’s a disaster,” Sebola said.
With Mbuthuma struggling to find goals and Pirates needing wins, it remains to be seen if Abdeslam Ouaddou will drop the 24-year-old forward for Evidence Makgopa.
