Former Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder Benedict Vilakazi has disagreed with coach Mandla Ncikazi on comparing his former two clubs.
The Buccaneers co-caretaker coach compared his side and Masandawana last week, saying they are on the same level this season, despite the unbeaten champions being 16 points ahead of third-place Pirates.
Tso, though, had discussed the matter in his iDiski Times column, saying Ncikazi was trying to encourage his players, as he thinks Sundowns have no peer in the league at this moment.
“Mandla Ncikazi raised eyebrows last week when he said that his side Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns are on a similar level,” Vilakazi wrote.
“Many media companies had their fans commenting about this and a lot of former players were called and most of them disagreed with that statement.
“I think Ncikazi may have been trying to encourage his players with his words, and I doubt that he believes them genuinely.
“There are times as a coach where you have to send a message to your dressing room through your press conferences and speeches, and I think we are caught up in the middle of a coach trying to motivate his players. Sundowns are on a completely different level and cannot be compared with Orlando Pirates.
The former midfielder, however, admitted that the Sea Robbers were better in the past decades, but now fallen behind Sundowns.
“Pirates were bigger than Sundowns back in the day. The club used to win trophies, and they also used to develop their players,” Tso continued.
“Nowadays, they have fallen behind because there is no leadership and no structure. Many of their players are recruited on the basis of which agent represents them, this influence also affects their team selection.
“What is the reason for such a big club to not have a full-time coach by now? Nothing makes sense at Pirates and that is why they have won one trophy in over six years.
“They have fallen behind Sundowns, and they are not close to closing that gap.”
