Orlando Pirates 2021/22 Preview – Head Coach, Transfers and Squad Depth

After going close to winning the title in three consecutive seasons, Pirates had a poor campaign last time out despite having invested heavily in the squad with a new goalkeeper and four experienced signings from Bidvest Wits. With Josef Zinnbauer resigning on the eve of this league season, it could be a disrupted start to the campaign. Can the coaching staff close the gap significantly to Mamelodi Sundowns or even challenge for the title despite an underwhelming transfer window?

From Challengers To Also-Rans

Having finished the three preceding seasons from 2017 to 2020 behind the eventual champions by five points then two points and then seven points, Pirates could claim to have been in the title race in those years. To have finished a massive 17 points behind Sundowns last season meant it was a very poor campaign even if they did win the MTN8 to end a six-year trophy drought.

The clearest issues in the league were drawing far too many matches (11 stalemates with just 13 wins in total) and their goalscoring return of 33, less than a struggling Kaizer Chiefs team. A big reason for the latter problem was the constant injuries in the forward areas. Thembinkosi Lorch had a good period in the league around the turn of the year as a false nine but never found consistency in performance or availability. He scored a single PSL goal.

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With Zakhele Lepasa out for the last six months of the campaign and Tshegofatso Mabasa only playing 323 minutes in the league all season, the only regularly available striker was Gabadinho Mhango.

He also suffered from injuries but the drop-off from the campaign before was predicted in the season preview prior to the season. Terrence Dzvukamanja played just 47 minutes in total in the final 18 PSL matches after a bright start. Deon Hotto did a good job when used as a number nine with all these injuries and showed remarkable durability.

Overall, the side scored more than once in a PSL game on just nine occasions in their 30 matches. They also fired blanks in nine matches having failed to score in 10 of their 30 matches during the 2019-20 season.

Defensively, Pirates had the second best goals conceded record. Despite a couple of howlers (and another one against Swallows FC this past weekend in the MTN8), Richard Ofori brought more stability to Bucs with a single defeat in his 15 league appearances before he suffered an injury. Thulani Hlatshwayo was expected to be a Virgil Van Dijk “missing piece of the jigsaw”, but the side conceded in all of his first eight PSL matches. His struggles continued throughout the season and he went from Bafana Bafana captain to not even in the squad.

Recruitment

This transfer window has been a very curious one for Pirates. Having added Deon Hotto, Thabang Monare, Terrence Dzvukamanja, Thulani Hlatshwayo and Richard Ofori last year, the powers that be at Bucs have recruited just three new players to the squad.

The three new arrivals are Goodman Mosele, Bandile Shandu and Kwanda Mngonyama. The latter duo were squad players at relegation-threatened Maritzburg United last season and were often not selected regularly by the club in recent years. How they have ended up moving to Pirates is a very good question. Both are only really likely to be used as right or right wingback and the squad has a plethora of options for that role.

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Also arriving is Goodman Mosele, a talented and young defensive midfielder from Baroka with lots of PSL experience already. He was linked with transfers overseas but instead moves to Orlando. He too arrives in a department with half a dozen options to compete with and may have to spend a lot of time on the bench.

Tebogo Tlolane has returned from two decent seasons on loan at Maritzburg and adds depth on the flanks but won’t be in the best XI. The top scorer in the NFD last term, Monnapule Saleng was recruited from Free State Stars but promptly loaned out to Swallows for the season.

In short, the squad has more depth in areas they didn’t need to bulk up and have not made the starting XI any better. Considering the injury problems to the strikers, it would be very risky and maybe even downright crazy not to bring in more firepower before the transfer window closes. Someone proven in the PSL though, regardless of age, not another Jean-Marc Makusu Mundele!

Squad Depth

Pirates’ squad was trimmed down nicely prior to last season to have a more manageable, streamlined roster. Injuries meant they were hit hard but the idea was right to build team chemistry. This season, the squad looks extremely unbalanced. Abel Mabaso’s return to a defensive midfield role has two effects: robbing the side of their best defensive right-back option and bloating the midfield even more for little benefit. It is difficult to see where Goodman Mosele will get regular minutes, never mind perennial fringe player Linda Mntambo or the little-used Nkanyiso Zungu.

Right-back has been a problem position for a number of years and the club’s solution has been to sign any and all free agent utility players who can cover in that position (see Highlands Park’s rotation option Wayde Jooste being signed a year ago). Ironically, midfielder Siphelele Ndlovu looks the best option of all in that role. This, despite a couple of man of the match awards in the bio-bubble as a midfielder.

In attack, Hotto and Pule carry the load as they are fit most often. Should Lorch also get himself fit and even one of the strikers, you have a very good front four that will score goals. However, Bucs have been reluctant to use just two central midfielders despite all of the fine results initially under Zinnbauer coming in a 4-2-3-1 shape.

Any fans who watch to the half-time analysis videos on the Pirates twitter account by assistant Fadlu Davids knows how well the coach can read matches and see where adjustments are needed. Bucs have turned many matches by changing the shape at half-time but when that happens through the lens of a constantly disrupted starting XI, it can just muddy waters further. It worked so well for the coach at Maritzburg United because there was such consistency in team selection and training availability that every player knew their roles at kick-off and after any in-game tweaks.

Perhaps the biggest barrier to their style of play has been the lack of comfort on the ball shown by Ofori and Hlatshwayo, leading to a more direct strategy in the build-up phase, as well as susceptibility to errors from the opposition’s high pressing. Bucs therefore often look better as a counter-attacking with space for their speedy runners to break into.

Verdict

Bucs were tipped to push Sundowns very close last season and instead had a poor league campaign. It is hoped that removing Zinnbauer will see the two local coaches (Davids and Mandla Ncikazi) take the reins and play the sort of exciting football they managed at smaller clubs in Maritzburg and Golden Arrows.

Finding a consistent team, trimming down the squad, solving the right back and goalscoring problems and finding a style that masks some of the weaknesses on the ball of a Hlatshwayo… that is a tough laundry list for the new coach. For that reason, it doesn’t look likely that Pirates will finish above Mamelodi Sundowns this season either.
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