Orlando Pirates have sufficient depth in all departments. That gives manager Abdeslam Ouaddou some serious selection headaches, even when the club eventually lose Mbekezeli Mbokazi.
With Mbekezeli Mbokazi set for a big-money switch to the MLS, it’s not all that obvious who will step into the side.
Here’s a closer look.
Best Orlando Pirates XI without Mbokazi
Chaine; Lebitso, Seema, Sibisi, Hotto; Nemtajela, Nduli; Appollis, Mbatha, Mofokeng; Makgopa.
20-year-old Mbekezeli Mbokazi will leave a gaping hole in the Pirates side when he seals a switch to the MLS with Chicago Fire. However, there’s a reported R52 million in it for Pirates, and they already have significant depth in that position. There are rumours that the club could move for Stellenbosch’s Thabo Moloisane, too. To date, Mbokazi has made 37 appearances for the club. He has quickly become one of the first names on the team sheet despite his tender years. With cash in the bank when he’s sold, Pirates will have significant options in the market. Meanwhile, they’ve already got Lebone Seema, Bafana’s Nkosinathi Sibisi, and the returning Olisa Ndah and Thabiso Sesane waiting in the wings as defensive options.
What’s the best system for Pirates?
The 4-2-3-1 formation above is designed to get all three of Masindi Nemtajela, Sihle Nduli and the dynamic Thalente Mbatha into the side, with Mbatha perhaps given license to roam. Not as a number 10, but as a marauding box-to-box presence. Both Oswin Appollis and Relebohile Mofokeng like to take up positions behind the striker so they could alternate and interchange there.
Orlando Pirates flex their depth
A workmanlike 2-0 win over Chippa means that the Buccaneers move joint-top of the Betway Premiership. The goals came from substitutes Evidence Makgopa and Oswin Appollis, while another substitute, Kabelo Dlamini, claimed an assist. Abdeslam Ouaddou’s side can go top by themselves if they avoid defeat away to Durban City on Saturday, 29 November. Makgopa and Appollis are regular starters, so they should be restored to the side against City, while the ever-versatile Dlamini has again put his hand up for selection. Deon Hotto, now 35, also claimed an assist from left-back. Hotto, Thalente Mbatha, Relebohile Mofokeng and Yanela Mbuthuma were the four players to come into the starting XI to replace Nkosikhona Ndaba, Sihle Nduli, Appollis and Makgopa, who all started the club’s 3-1 win against Golden Arrows in the league earlier this month.
