Bucs take on finishing coach
Orlando Pirates have led the way, addressing South African football’s chronic scoring problem by employing a full-time finishing coach.
Frenchman Stephane Adam took part in his first training session at the Rand Stadium on Wednesday‚ employing drills aimed at attacking buildups down the flanks‚ feeding balls through to players running into the area‚ and finishing into squares in the bottom left and right of the goalmouth.
“Adam has been appointed to the Orlando Pirates’ first team where he will serve as a specialist coach for finishing‚” Bucs said on their website.
“Adam is a former player himself with a career spanning over 14 years where he played for clubs such as Lille and FC Metz in France before joining Scottish club Hearts, where he made over 140 appearances for the club.”
Adam, 49‚ a former striker‚ has worked as a finishing coach for Kilmarnock‚ and joins Pirates from last season’s 17th-placed Ligue 1 finishers Lille.
He joins a technical squad that has been notably beefed up with support staff to head coach Milutin Serdojevic and his assistant, Rhulani Mokwena‚ as Pirates aim to go better than their runners-up place in 2017/2018 and end a four-season trophy drought.
This includes new English goalkeeper-coach Andrew Sparkes from Swansea City.
Meanwhile, newly signed Buccaneers goalkeeper Brilliant Khuzwayo has been ruled out for “three to four weeks”‚ meaning he will not be available for this weekend’s Absa Premiership home match against Highlands Park.
Pirates confirmed the bad news on Wednesday and revealed that although the former Kaizer Chiefs keeper’s injury is not serious‚ his treatment is more of a corrective measure to allow the player to endure a pain-free season with the team.
“Khuzwayo will miss the start of the league as he is set to be out of action for three to four weeks‚” the club said.
The club also said Khuzwayo would see an orthopaedic surgeon this week to remove screws in his ankle and to have a scope performed.
Pirates open their season account with a home game against top-flight returnees Highlands Park at the Orlando Stadium on Saturday. Kickoff is at 8.15pm. Khuzwayo’s injury means the keeper‚ who was eagerly awaiting the start of the new season in which he hoped to be the preferred keeper after years of playing second fiddle to Itumeleng Khune at Chiefs‚ will likely miss a trip to the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth for Pirates’ second league match against Chippa United on August 8.
Attacking midfielders Thabo Qalinge and Thembinkosi Lorch will also miss a couple of the opening matches of the season due to injuries. –