We are going to attack them!

“What matters is who wants it more on the day.” “Chiefs have a good squad and we have to be careful of them.”

Comee Saturday 15h00, not a single pair of legs will be walking the streets of any Southh African township, as the local watering holes will be housing boisterous sets of supporters who will be glued to the first instalment of the Soweto Derby in 2018/19. There is a lot of taunting and playful betting that takest place among the fans before this game, with the hope that the players will deliver on the field. Some are even advised to eat their supper before the game, lest the result affect their appetite. Wiithout doubt, Thembinkkosi Lorch is one of thee players that Orlando Pirates fans will be pinning their hopes on, especially seeing he wasw instru- mental in Bucs’ 3-1 win over Kaizer Chiefs last season. Soccer Laduma’s Celine Abrahams had the opportunity to speak to the Bloemfontein-born attacker to find out how preparations have been going for this do-die clash.

Celine Abrahams: Derby day is almost upon us and it’s a sold-out affair. What is the general feeling in the Orlando Pirates camp, Nyoso?

Thembinkosi Lorch: Everything is going good in the team, you know. Every player wants to play in the derby – it is a big game and you don’t want to be that player that misses out on the chance to be in it. It’s going to be tough out there, but I think we are going to give the supporters what they are looking for. We are looking forward to it as the players. The spirit in the team has been good, you know, and it’s not only because we are going into the derby, but it has been like this since the start of the season.

CA: It’s a massive game!

TL: Ja, I think some of the guys will be playing their first derby, so the senior players have to keep them calm,. It’s going to be packed, everyone will be watching you and that can make you nervous. We are preparing well and we know what we have to do on Saturday. It is a normal game for us and we are going to treat it like how we treat our other games. We will prepare for it like how we prepare for our other opponents. Obviously, this game gets more people watching, but we are still playing against another 11 players. I think that we just need to relax and play our normal game. We mustn’t try to do too much on the day. On paper, we know what we should do, so we just need to take those plans and put them into action on the field. We want the maximum points. We can’t let the emotions get to us and be too excited about the game just because we are playing Kaizer Chiefs.

CA: As you pointed out, every player looks forward to playing in this one, but it depends on how much effort one puts in at training...

TL: Yho, ja, every player is pushing hard. But, again, we have been doing this from the start of the season, not because we are playing Chiefs. Playing Chiefs is just like a boost though and I don’t think any player needs any other motivation going into this game. I am looking forward to being given a chance again to play in such a game like this.

CA: In the last match between the two sides, you opened the scoring in what would eventually result in a 3-1 victory for Pirates…

TL: Ah, you know, I think that there is a lot to improve on. Err... I’m not going to put myself under any pressure by looking at what I did then. It’s good to have that history, but there is more that I need to do and I know that I can do more. Just because I scored the last time when we played Chiefs, now everyone will be looking for me to do the same and if it comes, then I will be very happy. It would be good for me if I score for my team, but I’m not going to put myself under pressure. If I don’t get that chance to score, then I must create for my teammates and assist them to score so that, in the end, we get a win, which will be good for us because we want to stay closer to the first spot on the log.

CA: Your Soweto Derby debut came in March 2017 and we’re sure that your palms were sweating on the day! What advice have you given your potential debutant teammates these past few days?

TL: (Signs) Ah, I still remember that day like it was yesterday. It is one of those games that I think that you will never forget. I was nervous, obviously. It’s a big game, big crowd, but I think you just have to be yourself and then everything will be okay. Pray to God for Him to carry you through. You mustn’t try to do things to impress because that is when you will fail. Just be yourself and try to calm down. Forget about everything around you and the supporters because sometimes there will be a few supporters screaming and shouting at you, but you need to be strong and focus on your game. I think it is all about learning to be calm and learning how to deal with your nerves. We all know that we have good player rs and they can play well, so o they just need to do wh hat they normally do in n other games. We kno ow that there is more than just points (up p for grabs) in a game e like this and we nee d to stick to our plan ns to make sure that t we do well for the tteam and for our supporters. CA: Pirates have won two and drawn three in the last five e league matches, while Chiefs ha ave won three, drawn one and lost one. Ho ow much of a part t does this play going into Saturday’s game?

TL: Honestly, I don’t think it plays much of ( an) importance . Like, going int to a derby, the pr revious results go ou ut of the window. What matters is who wants it more on the day. We can look at what both teams have done and what could happen, but to be honest, come Saturday it is going to be another story. It is not about the performance before; it is all about that one day that

brings a lot of excitement and who wants it more. We all know that the derby is a different game and none of us want to lose. Pirates don’t want to lose, Chiefs don’t want to lose, but it depends on who will be lucky enough to win it after the 90 minutes is over. We have been given time to prepare for this game and I think it is going to be good for us because we have a chance to look at different things and what we can do, and also on how we can improve on some things and the little mistakes we have been making. My confidence has grown, especially after coming back from Bafana Bafana. My confidence went up a bit because of the different set-up and getting to learn from the other players there. Hopefully I can continue building my confidence before the weekend. I think the game against Chippa United in the Telkom Knockout helped us a lot as well. There was an international break and then we had this chance to prepare ourselves for this next league game. I think we are in a good place as a team and we are hoping that things will go our way on the day.

CA: Bucs’ Achilles heel though has been converting the numerous chances that you create game after game. TL: Ja, to be honest, I think that we started the season very slowly. We know that it was something that no one was expecting to see because of what we managed to do last season. But we signed a lot of new players and they needed to gel in the team and for us to get to know each other better. Everything is coming alright now. It’s just a matter of time before everything is where we know it can be. We have been working on it, trying to t make sure that we score goals and not waste our chances. We have our finishing coach, who is helping us. I believe that things will work out for uus. We are focused on making sure that we do what we have been working on o against Chiefs. Obviously, it is not somethings that will change overnigh t. It is something that needs time, but wwe are getting there. We will do our bbest in the derby and hopefully things work out for us. I can’t say that theree is pressure on now. We know that our supporters want to see goals on thhe day and we will do our best to mak e sure that we give them what they have paid to come and see.

CA A: They’ll be happy to hear you say that. t TL L: But, you know, pressure is the nam e of the game. There is always presssure in any game that you play. I don’t think we should let anything worrry us as we prepare for this game. As I said before, you just need to play yourr normal game and everything else will work out. Forget about everything g else and focus on that game only . On Saturday, that is the only thingg that matters.

CAA: Over the past few years, the suppporters have been crying out for moree goals in the Soweto Derby. How doe s that make you feel as a current player? L: It’s sad to hear that. Looking t the last derby, we gave them goals and they were happy for that. We know that we have to do it again this weekend because they have paid to come and see their teams play. Both teams want to get the maximum points and, to do that, we need to score goals. We are not going there to play a draw... we are going there to win the game. We are not going to sit back and let them come at us. We are going t o attack them! Chiefs have a goood squad and we have to be careful of o them, but we are not scared of themm! We will respect them on the day, but we are looking to beat them. We willw analyse them and make sure that we have more than one plan to take them on. We will see where we can hith them, especially on their weak points. We will capitalise on their weaknesses and we know that we havee a very good attack that can take on thheir defence. We have to be careful because b they have certain players that are going to attack our defence, guys like Khama (Billiat), but we can’t only focus on a few players becaus e anyone can rise on the day.

CA A: Nyoso, before we end off this conversation, back in the day, there were some interesting rituals that took place before the Soweto Derby, as Tinashe Nengomasha admits in his interview (see page 13). Do any of them still exist? TL L: (Laughs) Not any that I know of! These days, we just motivate each other and sing together as a team. Nothing too extreme, ha, ha, ha. CA A: Good luck then. From all of us att Soccer Laduma, the message is simp ple to both sets of players: give us a gam me to remember! TL L: Thank you. Thanks also to the supp porters for buying the tickets to come e and watch the game. Yeah, we hope e that we will be able to give them a goo od game.