After a clinical Soweto Derby win, Orlando Pirates take their title charge to Polokwane City on Wednesday night. Photo: Backpagepix
Image: Backpagepix
Orlando Pirates remain masters of their own destiny at the summit of the Betway Premiership table, but there is little room for complacency as the title race intensifies.
The Buccaneers face another stern examination on Wednesday when they travel to the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium (7.30pm kick-off) to face off against Polokwane City. It is a fixture that will demand focus as every match is now a must win encounter, particularly with champions Mamelodi Sundowns breathing down their necks.
For Abdeslam Ouaddou’s charges, the weekend marked a swift return to winning ways.
After suffering a narrow 2-1 defeat to Mamelodi Sundowns in their previous league outing, Pirates responded emphatically with a 3-0 demolition of Kaizer Chiefs this past Saturday. The convincing derby triumph has restored confidence within the camp ahead of what could prove to be a tricky encounter in Polokwane.
History favours the Soweto giants. Pirates have dominated this fixture in recent years, drawing just once in their last ten meetings across all competitions with nine wins, in what has been an otherwise commanding record.
On paper, they will once again start as favourites.
Tshepang Moremi is once again expected to play a pivotal role, having emerged as one of the club’s standout performers this season. The winger’s pace and direct running have added a new dimension to Pirates’ attack, and Ouaddou has been vocal in his admiration for the former AmaZulu midfielder.
“He is a really good and interesting player with a lot of qualities,” Ouaddou said.
The Moroccan tactician emphasised that Moremi’s growth has been carefully managed, highlighting the importance of structured development without exposing him to unnecessary external pressure.
“The problem with the modern footballer is there are too many coaches — everyone wants to be a coach. There are coaches on social media and coaches in the stands, and they want to mould players into what they want,” he explained.
“As technicians and coaches, we analyse the qualities of our players. When you see that his main quality is speed, you have to use that quality, create the right environment and put him in the right position to express himself.”
Although Moremi has not started consistently in recent outings, his impact off the bench in those matches underlined why he remains highly rated by the technical team. With stiff competition from the likes of Relebohile Mofokeng and Oswin Appollis, team selection has become increasingly competitive.
Ouaddou believes Moremi’s unique attributes set him apart.
“He is a winger, and a winger uses pace, crosses and shooting, with the capacity to combine in the half-spaces,” he said.
"He cannot always operate in the half-space — that requires different qualities like those of Nkota, Mofokeng and Appollis. He has his own strengths and he is a top player, just different.
“Against Chiefs we used him to maximise his high qualities, and you can see that whenever we deploy him as a winger, he can surprise many people. Those qualities have also enabled him to be part of Bafana Bafana.”
* Obakeng Meletse is Independent Media’s multi-sport writer. For fresh video content, follow our YouTube channel The Clutch