Orlando Pirates coach Josef Zinnbauer says the injuries picked up in the squad and the number of games over a short period forced him to rotate his team so often in recent weeks.

The Sea Robbers have had an inconsistent start to the year picking up two defeats‚ two draws and two wins‚ as the matches came thick and fast at the start of 2021.

With the Caf Confederation Cup set to get under way, the fixtures list shows no signs of letting up for the Soweto giants.

Zinnbauer has made a number of changes to his starting lineup over this period, which he says is a necessity to protect his players during the hectic schedule.

‘It’s not always so easy when you have problems after games – like last week it was [Vincent] Pule and before it was [Paseka] Mako‚’ Zinnbauer said when asked if he might aim for greater consistency in lineups now‚ and to explain the many personnel changes and systems.

‘And players always have problems with muscles‚ like [Bongani] Sam last week. And that’s a problem when you have a lot of games in a short time‚ and you always have to manage this.

‘Now our [next] game is on Sunday‚ and we have a bit more time for recovery. And … we didn’t change a lot of players [from Uthongathi to City].

‘But we need the right conditioning for the next game. You saw [Thabang] Monare come out – I hope it’s not too serious. But I saw him after the game and I think he feels good.

‘I know the supporters are saying‚ “Why does the coach change so much?”‚ or why do players not play in the right positions – like [Siphesihle] Ndlovu [against City]. At the moment, we don’t have right full backs‚ with three injured‚ and this was the reason Ndlovu played in that position.

‘These are the things you have to manage as a coach. And it’s not so easy. We have now had 10 or 11 games in 30 days‚ and it’s a lot for the players‚ and the squad has worked very well.

‘But you have to find them the new structure‚ like Deon Hotto on Tuesday‚ playing at No 9. And he’s not a nine‚ but at the moment we have no other striker. And in the game you need players who are in a rhythm.

‘These are the things the players have to understand now – that they help us in the team and the squad to play in different positions. These are the things we have to do in the circumstances.’