Bucs show early signs of progress against Chippa
Defensive reshuffle works for Micho
Orlando Pirates showed how they have improved from last season when they beat Chippa United 1-0 at Orlando Stadium at the weekend.
New coach Milutin “Micho” Sredojevic raised some eyebrows with some of the changes, but was vindicated when Bucs won through a first-half Thamsanqa Gabuza header.
There would have been a lot of interest in the Bucs defence, especially after conceding a whopping 40 goals last season in finishing outside the top eight.
The Serb started with a completely new defence, except for new skipper Thabo Matlaba at right back.
Goalkeeper Wayne Sandilands was solid as was fellow new boy Innocent Maela at left back. The interesting combination was the centre back pairing of Ntsikelelo Nyauza, a natural right back, and Gladwin Shitolo, who’s usually a defensive midfielder.
Sredojevic was pleased with the outcome, considering they also fared well in midfield where Thamsanqa Sangweni and vice-captain Abbubaker Mobara dominated the middle of the park, especially in the first half.
“We needed to field a central defence that has an element of speed against players like Moeketsi Sekola, [Menzi] Masuku and [Andile] Mbenyane,” Sredojevic reflected.
Pirates, however, defended too deep in the second half, which allowed Chippa to dictate terms and they could have found an equaliser had it not been for Sandilands.
The 47-year-old, however, argued that their second half was “normal” against a team looking to equalise and said that what pleased him was that Pirates showed they have the mental capacity to deal with such situations, as compared to last season.
“We showed that we are mentally stronger than last season. The players followed the instructions of the technical team,” he added.
Pirates will face Limpopo side Baroka at Peter Mokaba Stadium tomorrow (7.30pm). “We will approach each match like a cup final,” coach Sredojevic
warned.