ORLANDO Pirates Evidence Makgopa and Kamogelo Sebelebele celebrating a goal at the Orlando Amstel Arena sometime during the season. | Itumeleng English/ Independent Newspapers
Image: Pic: Itumeleng English/ Independent Newspapers
Orlando Pirates’ former striker Andries Sebola has backed Evidence Makgopa to lead the line in their title decider against Orbit College on Saturday afternoon, even though he and fellow striker Yanela Mbuthuma have struggled to impress at the club.
Pirates will face Orbit at Mbombela Stadium in a match they must win to secure the title, as anything less would see Mamelodi Sundowns crowned champions for a record-extending season in a row.
Given that Pirates will need goals to win the match, coach Abdeslam Ouaddou faces a big decision on who should lead the line between Makgopa and Mbuthuma.
The duo have had a below-par season, scoring 15 goals and registering four assists in 61 matches between them across all competitions.
Given Makgopa’s experience at this level, including with Bafana Bafana, Sebola believes he should get the nod despite criticism from supporters, while Ouaddou has also previously called on Hugo Broos to manage the striker’s game-time carefully.
“They just need to start with Makgopa on Saturday. He’ll bring them the presence,” Sebola explained.
Sebola, however, believes neither Makgopa nor Mbuthuma has fully delivered whenever given an opportunity.
“It has been an obvious thing that they are both not effective,” Sebola said. “Yes, Mbuthuma has tried to create spaces for the midfielders like Oswin Appollis and Relebohile Mofokeng, but his positioning and first touch let him down.
“Makgopa’s first touch lets him down. His positioning at times lets him down. So, both are not the strikers we were looking for at Pirates. It’s just unfortunate that the coach decided to loan out Tshegofatso Mabasa – he was going to sort out the problem with the quality of players he’d have around him.”