Orlando Pirates assistant coach Rulani Mokwena stressed the importance of having a good pre-season ahead of the 2018-19 PSL camapign.

Miltuin Sredojevic’s side acquired nine new players, which include the likes of Linda Mntambo, Vincent Pule and Brilliant Khuzwayo, while parting ways with the likes of Brighton Mhlongho and Riyaad Norodien, who have since joined Bidvest Wits and Cape Town City respectively.

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Following his first full season in charge at Pirates, Mokwena cited teh importance of preparing for the season which is not a sprint, but a marathon.

“You cannot just wake up one day and run the Comrades Marathon.” he told the club’s official website.

“You start with 5km, then 10km, 20km all the way up until the body can handle the longer distances.

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“That is effectively what pre-season is for. The body needs to be fully prepared for the physical demands of a tough season.

“We know that a season is not a sprint, it is a marathon, and we know that for any team that wants to win this marathon, the planning needs to be right.

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“This is a big season for the Club. We have more games to play than last year therefore we need to make sure that our periodisation is done properly.

“We also welcome a couple of new faces who have not yet been exposed to our game model.

“We will use the time in camp to familiarise the players with a new style of play and this will obviously entail both theoretical and practical applications.

“The challenge however, is that we have players coming in from different teams and with that comes different ideas and understandings of how to play,” added the mentor.

“Our job in pre-season is to deconstruct what they know and formulate a new blueprint for the upcoming season,” he concluded.

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