Carling All Stars coach Manqoba Mngqithi says Orlando Pirates’ success so far this season is mainly because of how efficient the club has been.
Pirates have bagged three domestic trophies so far this term the MTN 8 cup, the Carling Knockout Cup and the third coming against a Mngqithi led PSL All Stars side the Carling Black Label Cup in Durban on Saturday. The Buccaneers also finished the year top of the Betway Premiership log with 28 points in 12 outings.
Mngqithi also credited Pirates’ attacking acquisitions like Tshepang Moremi and Oswin Appollis as another thing that had made a difference and being able to punish the oppositions ‘mistakes. However the former Mamelodi Sundowns coach believes teams will sit back against Pirates in the second round of the campaign.
“I think what is more fascinating with this Pirates team, which can surprise a lot of people is that they are just efficient,” said Mngqithi.
“And sometimes that dries up because when you look, sometimes they don’t create as many chances, they rely a lot on the mistakes of the opponents.
“But they are able to punish most of those mistakes this season which in the past they’d miss a lot maybe because they don’t create as many chances.
“But this season I think the inclusion of players like Moremi and Appollis has really revived their attacking play. And you know what Appollis is capable of.
“Mbuthuma may be everywhere in that position but he’s strong aerially and he works very hard defensively to press from the top and that is something they are building on.
“And that efficiency and sometimes if it dries up then you must rely on how much creativity, how much do you really force the opposition to make mistakes because it’s a different story to play on transition.
“And it’s a different story when you have to break down low blocks because I can guarantee you, from what they have done first half of the season, a lot of teams are going to sit back in the second half.
“And when they sit back then it asks a lot of questions in the team because at the moment on top of my head I think they have created a lot of goals from transition.”
