Mhango, Mabasa back for Pirates
• It is just the headache Bucs coach Zinnbauer does not mind, two strikers returning from injury
Josef Zinnbauer is delighted by Orlando Pirates’ selection headache after the return of strikers Gabadinho Mhango and Tshegofatso Mabasa from injury.
But the German coach is preferring to tread carefully and has cautioned against rushing the duo back too quickly.
The Bucs coach kept both strikers on the bench and started with Deon Hotto‚ Vincent Pule and Linda Mntambo upfront in Saturday’s 3-0 win against Chippa United at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.
“Yes‚ now it’s coming together but you see that Gaba [Mhango] and Mabasa need more time‚” Zinnbauer said of the two strikers he introduced later in the match on Saturday.
“Gaba works very hard but you can see it’s not the Gaba we had before. I don’t have a headache about these players coming back.”
Zinnbauer was happy that Pirates settled the matter much earlier in Gqeberha than they did in their midweek home victory against a 10-man Bloemfontein Celtic where they needed Fortune Makaringe’s 62nd minute goal to take the full spoils.
“The performance is always changing because it’s not like you snap your fingers and it just happens‚” said the Bucs coach.
“Last time we played against 10 [men] and I was frustrated because we had more possibilities to score. We didn’t have a good performance but got the result. That’s the first important point for the coach.”
Scoring three goals‚ which boosts Bucs’ goal difference to +9‚ was also pleasing to Zinnbauer as his team jumped to second spot on the table just one point behind leaders Mamelodi Sundowns‚ who have four matches in hand.
“I think we had a very good first half‚ had many opportunities to score and we scored two times. In the second half we sat a little bit deeper and waited for the right moments to play a counterattack‚” said Zinnbauer.
“We got the third and I’m happy about the scorers. Hotto again‚ Fortune again and Ben [Motshwari]‚ as midfielder.”
Pirates will play two Caf Confederation Cup’s Group A matches before their next league match against Kaizer Chiefs on March 21.
Bucs face Algerian side ES Setif at the Accra Sports Stadium in Ghana on Wednesday and will then host Enyimba FC of Nigeria on March 17 before the showdown with Chiefs four days later.
Kaizer Chiefs are “going through tough times and sticking together”, coach Gavin Hunt insists, acknowledging he was relieved his team did not set an unwanted record of nine matches without a win with their 2-0 victory over Petro de Luanda last Saturday.
Chiefs‚ playing in their first Caf Champions League group stage‚ got their first win at that level against the Angolan outfit at FNB Stadium.
Amakhosi were nowhere near perfect, and nor would you expect them to be after eight league and cup matches without a win. But they plugged away at a pedestrian Petro and earned good goals by Erick Mathoho and Happy Mashiane.
In so doing, Hunt’s men avoided equalling their longest winless league and cup run of nine matches‚ and at the same time bounced back from last Sunday’s 4-0 defeat to Wydad Casablanca in Burkina Faso, getting their group C campaign back on track.
“You don’t want to be lumbered with those things. But it is what it is‚” Hunt‚ the master of understatement who has never given much stock to records‚ said when asked about avoiding the nine-match record.
“You know‚ we’re going through tough times and we’re sticking together‚ and it hasn’t been easy‚” he said.
Chiefs‚ languishing in 10th place in the Premier Soccer League‚ will hope a win in the Champions League can again spur some form in the league when they meet Maritzburg United at Harry Gwala Stadium on Wednesday.