Junior Khanye has insisted that Orlando Pirates won’t challenge Mamelodi Sundowns for the DStv Premiership title this season, questioning some of Jose Riveiro’s tactics and whether he was involved in the signings.
The Buccaneers, who many expected to go toe-to-toe with Sundowns in the league after finishing second last season and their recent success in domestic cups, plus what many thought was a strong transfer window, have somewhat surprisingly struggled in the league.
The latest disappointing result was a goalless draw away at Richards Bay in the DStv Premiership this past weekend, which saw them remain in ninth place on the log, with just 16 points from 11 matches, eight points behind Sundowns who have played three games less.
“Both teams coming into the match, one didn’t show that they are fighting relegation, while Pirates hasn’t been doing very well compared to Mamelodi Sundowns, who they are supposed to challenge,” Khanye said on iDiskiTV, assessing Pirates’ situation.
“Again it’s a matter of as a coach can you come up with good combinations. I mean, how do you bring players from the stands into the starting line-up in a game where you need points?
“They won’t challenge for the league. You made a very strong point about consistency – if you want to challenge Sundowns for the league, if you have 10 games on the table, win nine and at least draw one.
“I also question the players’ character. The majority of the players don’t have a strong character. Yes, we can fault coaches because they also make questionable decisions like bringing in players from the stands into the team in a game that matters.
“Their squad is not balanced in terms of the signings. They signed so many central attacking players. You could believe they have a big squad but when you look at it now it’s costing them.
“I mean when you play Kimvuidi on the left in the front three it’s a problem. Even Mofokeng is not a player that plays on the left, he is a player that plays central, but if you take him there and play Kermit as a number 10, it’s a problem.
“It shows that the coach runs out of ideas and the question now is did you sign the players yourself or someone did that on your behalf?”
You can listen to Khanye’s full analysis of the match between Richards Bay and Orlando Pirates on iDiskiTV official YouTube channel.
