Bucs have a big issue with small teams

ORLANDO Pirates' complacency against the so-called ‘smaller teams' remains their Achilles heel this season after a shock defeat on Tuesday night.

Fresh from producing an entertaining draw with Mamelodi Sundowns in the MTN8 semi-final first leg, the Bucs were tipped to beat Sekhukhune United.

Instead, it was the Polokwane-based outfit that collected all three points at home, thanks to late goals from Elias Mokwana and Vusimuzi Mncube.

Mokwana'sstrike was a typical team goal following some lovely build-up play from the back, while Mncube's was due to an act of clumsiness from Pirates. Late in the game, Miguel Timm opted for a back-pass to goalkeeper Richard Ofori who tried to build from the back only to lose the ball to Mncube. The striker needed no second invitation as he slotted the ball into the empty net to give his team their second win of the term.

Granted, Ofori was responsible for that blunder, but it could have been worse if it wasn't for his heroics, against former teammate Linda Mntambo. Pirates were so lacklustre on the night that it looked like Sekhukhune would score with every move and needed rescuing by Ofori.

It was a poor performance that made one wonder what happened to the team that went toe-to-toe with Sundowns in the MTN8 just a few days ago.

And perhaps the answer lies in the fact that coach Jose Riveiro is still unsure of his best starting line-up after making four changes from the team that faced Sundowns.

One of the new changes, James Monyane, also cost the team dearly as he was red-carded with 30 minutes left to play. On top of the changes, Pirates have been poor against the so-called ‘smaller teams'. Remember they lost to Chippa United and Maritzburg United as well. Pirates were expected to play these sides off the park. But they conceded very late and went on to lose after wasting chances of their own.

The goals that they conceded against Sekhukhune have also tarnished their defensive record of having conceded only four times in their previous nine matches.

Hype appears to have gotten into the heads of some of the players. Zakhele Lepasa was poor on Tuesday night after being lauded in recent weeks.

His bright start and brace against TS Galaxy had earned him a Bafana Bafana call-up, while he played a crucial role in their 4-0 victory against Sierra Leone. His return to club football hasn't been impressive at all. So much so that it's perhaps time that Riveiro gives new striker Kermit Erasmus a starting berth.

Erasmus impressed against Sundowns and Sekhukhune during his cameos off the bench and he would have scored most of the chances that Lepasa squandered. Consistency is key in winning titles and that's why Pirates should work on their weaknesses and take positives from their loss to Sekhukhune heading into the rest of the games this month.

They'll return to Peter Mokaba in three weeks' time to play Sundowns in the MTN8 semi-final second leg knowing that complacency will be punished.