COACHES of teams playing in the Premier Soccer League (PSL) have not given anything to Orlando Pirates in the battle for the Betway Premiership title that is burning between them and Mamelodi Sundowns who are trying to win it for the ninth consecutive season.
Winning the league title at Sundowns has become a tradition in the big league of South African football since it has become their daily bread.
This season, Pirates has raised the level significantly under the coach, Abdeslam Ouaddou. It sits at the top with 44 points from 19 games where it has tied with Sundoswns who have the remaining goals.
Sundowns collected three points against Lamontville Golden Arrows in a match they won 2-1 in Pretoria, and Pirates did the same against Polokwane City in Polokwane.
After these games, Manqoba Mngqithi who cooks for Arrows and Phuthi Mohafe of Polokwane, spoke to the media about the chances of Pirates winning the league.
The speeches of these coaches indicated that Sundowns will take the title with them due to various reasons they have put forward which affect the way Pirates play and the strength of the Sundowns squad.
Mngqithi said that although the football played by the teams competing for the title is not at the expected level, but his former team is the strongest and therefore he does not see him giving up the title.
“It is good what Pirates and other teams are doing but the problem they are all facing is that they have a very strong team,” said Mngqithi.
“The breadth of Sundowns’ scheme enables it to change things from the bench even after you have been holding it, which is not the same when compared to others.
“This team is strong and it’s not something that needs to be criticized, but the title goes to Chloorkop. I’m not saying this because there is a lot of football that I see, but it’s the strength of the squad.”
After being beaten by Pirates, Mohafe said: “I have not seen Pirates winning the league if they continue to play the way they played against us.
“We are the ones who have made it difficult for them in the way we planned, but this does not mean that the way they are playing is not the way to win the league title..”
