AmaZulu FC coach Arthur Zwane has explained why Orlando Pirates are a far more challenging opponent than Mamelodi Sundowns.
The past week has seen the Buccacaneers slip down second place with 59 points while Kabo Yellow moved up to the summit with 61 points.
HOW MAMELODI SUNDOWNS HAVE CHANGED THIS SEASON
Usuthu took two defeats from Pirates and Sundowns this term. Zwane’s side lost 1-0 to Miguel Cardoso’s team in February before a 3-0 loss to the Buccaneers in April.
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“We planned very well in terms of looking at other teams, how we can capitalise. And we knew that this season, the team that’s going to cause problems will be Pirates,” Zwane said as quoted by iDiski Times.
The former Kaizer Chiefs coach explained that the players themselves would confirm the level of analysis that went into preparing for opponents, noting that the technical team studied every side closely. He pointed out that a club like Sundowns has several players expected to be part of the World Cup squad.
“Their team went to the Club World Cup. And their players were going to compete in the Champions League. And that is why when you watch Sundowns, they no longer play football with tempo, they manage now. I don’t know if you’ve noticed.
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ORLANDO PIRATES ARE MORE FREE-FLOWING
“But Pirates, they come at you like nobody’s business. So now we needed to look at ourselves and say, who do we think we can go for? Where do we fancy our chances?
“Take nothing away from the group that we have assembled. But this is one season that was there for many other teams to capitalise if they planned very well because World Cup was going to help them, obviously, to take a lot from Sundowns.
He added that this reality influenced Sundowns’ priorities, suggesting they could not fully focus on competitions like the Nedbank Cup due to the physical demands on their squad. With involvement in multiple tournaments and players heading to the World Cup, he noted that the workload would be overwhelming.
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