Orlando Pirates coach Josef Zinnbauer says that if his side manages to keep clear of injuries, he is 100 percent sure that they can challenge on all fronts this season.
The Bucs endured an indifferent season in the 2020/21 campaign. They may have ended a six-year trophy drought winning the MTN8, but were disappointing in the league as the squad battled injuries and poor form.
However, due to Covid the preparations for last season were shortened to just two weeks. Now, though, Zinnbauer has ensured the club follow a full five-week pre season programme which will allow time to integrate the signings‚ for individual team-building and to get some of injured players back to full fitness.
Speaking in a virtual presser ahead of Sunday’s Carling Black Label Cup against Kaizer Chiefs, Zinnbauer insisted that a more integrated and cohesive Pirates side will do battle this season.
“It’s a big thing as a coach that you have more weeks now. Important as well is that you have players on the pitch. This time we don’t have so many injured like last season‚” Zinnbauer said as Bucs wound up an intense pre-season camp at Royal Marang Hotel in Rustenburg this week.
“OK‚ right now we have four or five players out‚ like [Tshegofatso] Mabasa‚ [Zakhele] Lepasa‚ Happy [Jele]‚ [Terrence] Dzvukamanja and Vincent Pule. That’s a little bit disruptive but it’s much better than last season.
“We now have close to five weeks’ preparation‚ last season it was two. We can work on private talks – like now we have team team-building sessions alone with the players‚ without coaches and with coaches.
“And that’s the next thing we can improve – how we can integrate the new signings in the team quickly.
“It’s not everything – we also have to work hard. It’s a bit of a different style than what we had last season and I’m really happy at how the team are working hard on that.”
“We have more time now. But you need players available‚” he said.
“But we have a good squad now. Yes‚ last season we were happy – the last six years we didn’t have a cup and we won a cup.
“We want to win all the cups. Especially for clubs like Pirates‚ Chiefs or Sundowns.
“We saw in the last few years that it’s not so easy. Last season we saw AmaZulu [finish second in the league].
“But it’s possible. Now we have a chance. Last season we had players who had not played a game in continental competition‚ like Caf. And now we have more experience.
“We have players who have adapted more to the system. As a coach‚ I’m the same – I have adapted more to the culture now.
“And I hope now that if we have the players on board – not like last season with injuries all season – we will have the right direction‚ build on the system we want.
“It’s not so easy but we are working on it. I’m 100 percent sure that if we have the players on the field we can win cups.”
Among interesting‚ and perhaps also not so numerous as to destabilise‚ signings for Pirates are Goodman Mosele‚ Monnapule Saleng‚ Bandile Shandu and Kwanda Mngonyama.
Bucs meet Kaizer Chiefs in the pre-season Black Label Cup at Orlando Stadium on Sunday.
