‘Micho’s’ defensive shuffle pays off for Orlando Pirates

JOHANNESBURG: What’s clear from Orlando Pirates’ opening match of the Absa Premiership season is that coach Milutin “Micho” Sredojevic is looking for a defensive solution. “Speed and aggression”, the words the Serbian mentor used following the Buccaneers’ 1-0 victory over Chippa United.

What is less obvious, however, is if veteran Happy Jele – the only player still at the club a decade after the coach’s first stint there – will be part of this new dynamic back four.

Pirates conceded an incredible 40 goals in 30 league (fourth in that category) matches last season and it was no surprise they endured their worst ever season in the Premier League era.

On Saturday night at Orlando Stadium, Sredojevic handed a debut to Innocent Maela at leftback, while Gladwin Shitolo and Ntsikelelo Nyauza found themselves in unfamiliar roles at centreback. Thabo Matlaba kept his place at rightback and goalkeeper Wayne Sandilands, though very experienced, was another debutant. The end result was a clean sheet. But is that Sredojevic’s answer to last season’s leaky rearguard?

“No one is guaranteed a place,” the coach said. “As Maela will tell you, he did not expect to play, but we saw enough in training to believe that he was ready, and we told him that if he does well he takes the credit, which he did (pointing to the player’s Man of the Match award). But if he doesn’t perform well, as coaches we take the responsibility.”

“We need to field a central defence that has elements of speed and elements of aggression and correction in their defending,” Sredojevic explained further.

“And we have a specific target – to not be the team that has conceded one goal per match. We want the kind of defence that will give us confidence, that way we can have creative build-up.”