Attack was the name of the game

What an entertaining Soweto derby! I think 80 000 people got what they came for, an exciting, very open game, with both teams attacking. We already knew from last season that Pirates were an attack-minded team and Chiefs under Solinas are not willing to just sit back.

In the first 20 minutes, Chiefs really came to the party, the experience of Bernard Parker caused Pirates a lot of trouble and it looked like Chiefs were really up for this game.

On the other hand, like their coach mentioned, it looked like the occasion overawed Pirates in the first 20 minutes, their legs looked heavy, they kept conceding possession. After going a goal down, Pirates woke up and showed their character

They got a fortunate penalty and missed – that would normally spur Chiefs on to say they had a real chance now. That is why I say Pirates showed a lot of character, to come from being outshone and despite missing that penalty, that was a very good win for Pirates.

Kaizer Chiefs’ defence was unconvincing, Siyabonga Ngezana and Mario Booysens had never worked as a pair, so they often found themselves isolated, and because Willard Katsande was sometimes the only one protecting his defence, Ngezana was forced to press higher up the pitch, and this is where Chiefs got caught out. Pirates found space in between the lines.

The Chiefs defence was not working as a unit. When Ramahlwe Mphahlele went forward, Ngezana was also forced to cover and when those spaces appeared, Pirates made use of them intelligently. The likes of Thembinkosi Lorch, Vincent Pule and Justin Shonga exploited those pockets of space, along with the threat of Innocent Maela on the left. This really caused problems for the Chiefs defence.

We didn’t see enough reaction from Chiefs in the second half. I think Khama Billiat should have stayed on, in a game of this magnitude you needed his creativity even if he wasn’t match-fit. Dumisani Zuma wasn’t as effective as he should have been and maybe he should have been the one sacrificed. Leonardo Castro had been out for so long, maybe they should have started with Ryan Moon and brought Castro on. That is easy to say after the game, but I don’t think the changes were as effective as the coach would have liked. Hendrick Ekstein didn’t manage to put his foot on the ball, and Chiefs continuously tried to go through the middle through Ekstein and Kabelo Mahlasela.

Pirates’ defence won them the game. When Maela pushes up, Abubaker Mobara comes inside alongside Happy Jele and Marshall Munetsi, and those three did extremely well. Mobara was not going forward much, but if he did, Pirates remembered to keep three at the back.

Siyabonga Mpontshane looked a bit dodgy for the first goal, but he grew in confidence as the match went on. The worrying factor for me was that close to the end of the game it looked like the Chiefs players’ legs were heavy and Pirates were able to dictate terms, especially in the last 15 minutes.

I think it is still early to say whether Pirates can challenge for the league. When Pirates take a lead, they need to manage the game better, like the experience Sundowns show. If Pirates can get that right, they can certainly be contenders for the title.