POLOKWANE City coach Phuti Mohafe stands between Mamelodi Sundowns and the return to the summit of the Betway Premiership table.
Image: BackpagePix
Orlando Pirates might not be pleased with the six points they’ve dropped recently, but they could still become champions at the end of the season – thanks to competitors Mamelodi Sundowns also dropping points.
Pirates are top of the standings with 59 points, one ahead of Sundowns, who will play their game in hand against Polokwane City at Seshego Stadium on Wednesday night (7.30pm kick-off).
Granted, Sundowns are favourites on paper, but such has been their run of form lately that anything can happen in Seshego. Sundowns dropped four points in their last two games – at home to Stellenbosch and away to Richards Bay.
Given the fact that Polokwane City also beat them at home last season, coach Phuti Mohafe and his players are expected to show the same resilience at home and possibly cause another upset against the reigning champions.
Anything other than a win for Sundowns could benefit Pirates in their title push. That’s what the recent four points dropped by Sundowns have done.
Pirates looked to be out of the title race when they drew with Siwelele at home, Richards Bay away and Kaizer Chiefs at home. The advantage seemed to have swung towards Sundowns, as they were expected to capitalise on their games in hand due to their form. However, that wasn’t the case.
Playing in two competitions seems to be a daunting task for Sundowns. Since shifting focus to their CAF Champions League semi-final second leg – in which they beat Esperance 1-0 at home to win the tie 2-0 – they’ve struggled domestically.
That feat suggested they could drop more points this month, as they will also focus on winning the two-legged CAF Champions League final against AS FAR, starting with the first leg on May 17.
Winning those games in hand won’t be their only challenge. They will still face Polokwane City in a back-to-back fixture, as well as a rejuvenated Chiefs side in the coming days.
Pirates, meanwhile, don’t have such distractions. Their focus is solely on the league, while their four fixtures against Stellenbosch, Magesi, Durban City and Orbit College make them favourites.
Coach Abdeslam Ouaddou knows that he has depth at his disposal; however, they need to make up for their inexperience in title races by showing grit and desire in all the remaining games this season.
Granted, individual brilliance has helped them in difficult moments, with Relebohile Mofokeng standing out in recent matches. But it cannot be that when Mofokeng is not in form, the team completely fades away. They need to function as a unit, with individual performances complementing the collective effort.
Pirates also cannot afford to drop their heads when they concede first. They need to maintain their fighting spirit – not only to get the equaliser but to push for the win. In all three draws, they conceded first and failed to come out victorious.
It is well documented that they lack a lethal striker, as Yanela Mbuthuma and Evidence Makgopa have not been consistently finding the net. However, the players need to understand that sharing the scoring responsibilities is just as important as defending – especially with Sipho Chaine having impressively matched a club record of 17 clean sheets already this season.