Mokwena must focus on results
“IT is what it is!” Rhulani Mokwena said these five words several times after seeing Orlando Pirates bottle a 2-0 lead to eventually draw 2-2 with Baroka FC on Saturday.
The Sea Robbers were cruising at 2-0 up, a lead they maintained until the 80th minute. And then Baroka flipped the script and scored two goals in a space of nine minutes to tie the match at Peter Mokaba Stadium.
Pirates’ supporters were visibly upset, gesticulating towards Mokwena and the club’s players after another disappointing result. What has made the result even more bitter is Mokwena’s comments after the match. The Pirates coach praised the club for being part of entertaining spectacles, arguing that they give fans value for their money in how they perform.
It’s true. The neutrals certainly find their games entertaining. Pirates put on a show in the Soweto Derby against Kaizer Chiefs in the league and the Telkom Knockout just like they did against Bakgaga. But ending all those games on the losing side takes away the performance, especially with just four wins from 13 games. The Ghost needs result to stomach a season that promised so much but has only delivered misery and pain.
Mokwena’s blasé statements, even though his body language shows concern, is not going to make his job easier when it comes to winning over the Ghost where a section of the club’s supporters doubt his capabilities in his first major coaching assignment.
A video of the club’s supporters’ angry reaction after the draw with Baroka that felt like a loss showed the simmering tensions. Pirates need a positive result against Black Leopards on December 21 in their last match of the year.
Most of their problems are caused by their defensive frailties.
That’s an urgent problem that Mokwena needs to address during this short break before the team returns into a hectic January. There will be no place to hide during that period as games will be coming in thick and fast.
The pressure will intensify and so will the demands for the team to start producing.
In times like this, every word uttered by a coach is closely scrutinised to understand what he is saying and how that message is received by the club’s supporters. There are no lies in Mokwena’s words, but what fans are reading into is that it’s Okay to lose just as you do so having played beautiful football. Mokwena needs to watch what he says in this period which is going to be a defining moment of his coaching career at the club.