Orlando Pirates head coach Jose Riveiro has shed light on the overall contribution of Zakhele Lepasa who’s been the subject of criticism from supporters before his recent burst of form.
Lepasa returned from his six-month loan at SuperSport United where he netted twice for Gavin Hunt but didn’t exactly set the stage alight as expected.
While SuperSport were keen to keep hold of the player, the signing of Terrence Dzvukamanja, ironically from the Buccaneers saw fortunes change the 26-year-old, who stated he received a call from Chairman Dr Irivin Khoza as a show of faith.
“I can’t tell our fans what to think or what to do, they are football fans, they are mature, they watch the games and they have their opinions on what we do,” Riveiro said about the criticism of Lepasa who’s emerged as the first-choice number nine.
“We try to improve the history of the club every week, preparing ourselves as well as possible for each and every game that we’re going to play and maybe… nowadays, the roles are not like years ago.
“The keeper is not only there to save goals, he’s there to make us play better. And if sometimes the goalkeeper loses the ball we accept it, it’s part of the process, and the striker is not only there to score goals.
“Years ago we play straight to the striker, the second ball from the second striker, we shoot, we score rebound – that’s all. Now strikers of the furthest players are doing much more things to create spaces, to stretch the field, to get two or three players in one spot. So that Rele [Mofokeng] and [Monnapule] Saleng can have more space and time etc.
“Obviously the fans in the end, will always rank the strikers in the number of goals they score but I will invite them to also have a look at the amount of work the striker is doing on the field to make everybody else play better, pressing, keeping our line high, they are the first ones to start defending.
“So there’s a lot of things in every position that play a role when we decide who is playing and who is not [playing] so I will never judge one player for one thing… sorry. We are asking for much more things for players to do, but one is not enough.”
Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos stated after his brace against Morocco that he holds full belief in the player and questioned why he’s never been a regular at club level and stated he holds all the characteristics of a top forward.
Riveiro has now come out to suggest something similar, not only for Lepasa but for players in every position and urged fans to study the bigger picture rather than their primary roles as what is unfolding as a collective is part of the game plan at the Soweto giants.
“I’m not going to deny the truth, we look at strikers as someone who scores a goal at the end of the season, so when you can add to all of the other things other than putting the ball in the net, it’s perfect but never forgetting all the things they do on the field apart from scoring,” he added.
“It’s not fair, there are other positions, or players that will be in the same scenarios and missing goals, but it seems it doesn’t matter if it’s a midfielder or number 10 and he misses a goal? Unlucky… but when it’s a striker then we’re a bit more aggressive with them, it shouldn’t be like that, everyone must contribute to scoring, defending, and stopping transitions.
“When you see the striker running to the goalkeeper and stopping one transition, it’s key but nobody cares that he ran 20 meters full speed to stop the keeper, but nobody cares about that, but for the team, it’s vital… So let’s try to have a whole picture always not only small things to criticise players because they miss a pass or goal, it’s much more than that.”
