SOWETO (CONVERSEER) – Former Orlando Pirates Captain Lucky Lekgwathi believes that coach Jose Riveiro got the substitutions wrong in the Soweto Derby over the week during the Nedbank Cup final at the Moses Mabhida Stadium.
The substitutions
It is a rare occasion that one of the world’s biggest derby football matches, the Soweto derby between Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs, is staged in two consecutive matches.
The past two weeks, the South Africans have been spoiled with one of the most entertaining and closely contested Soweto derbies.
Orlando Pirates beat Chiefs 2-1 in the Betway Premiership on the third of May before Chiefs returned the favour this past weekend, beating Pirates 2-1 in the Nedbank Cup final to walk away with the trophy, preventing their arch-rivals from winning the trophy for the third consecutive season.
Now that the dust has settled, former Orlando Pirates captain Lucky Lekgwathi weighed in on Pirates’ loss this past weekend in an exclusive interview with Sportsboom.co.za.
Lekgwathi explained that the substitutions made by coach Jose Riveiro may have had a detrimental effect on the make-up of the team.
The 48-year-old argued that Mohau Nkota and Evidence Makgopa shouldn’t have been substituted and that their presence could have seen the Buccaneers dominate in the second half and potentially win the match.
“To tell you the truth, I think the Buccaneers let it go. In the first half they were very good and were controlling the game,” Lekgwathi told Sportsboom.co.za.
“Even after Chiefs scored the penalty, they didn’t panic thinking they lost the game, Instead, they continued playing their style, knocking the ball around until it paid off with a set piece and got the equaliser from Makgopa.”
“In the second half, they started very well again, and it is only after the coach made those changes that Chiefs started controlling the game.”
“After the substitutions of Mohau Nkota and Evidence Makgopa, Chiefs made a few changes as well and started controlling the game and coming at Orlando Pirates. I think we should’ve kept the same XI that played the first half. Today, we would be talking a different story. Overall, it was a good final.”
Is this the start of Pirates’ decline?
The Nedbank Cup trophy is not the only cup competition that Orlando Pirates missed out on this season, as they were knocked out of the CAF Champions League semi-final by Pyramids FC a few weeks ago in Egypt.
Domestically, Pirates have also taken themselves out of the race for the Betway premiership, handing Mamelodi Sundowns an advantage to win the league once again this season.
This has instilled a sense of concern from the Orlando Pirates fans that the loss to Chiefs may mark the start of a trophy drought, having won multiple trophies in the past three years.
However, Lekgwathi believes that Pirates are not starring at the start of a trophy drought. The 48-year-old remains adamant that Pirates will return to winning trophies next season in the absence of coach Riveiro who is set to leave the club at the end of the season.
“It’s heartbreaking to compete in three competitions and lose all of them. We had the Champions League, the Nedbank Cup and the domestic League where we were challenging Mamelodi Sundowns and ended up losing home games,” said Lekgwathi.
“I don’t think it’s the end of the glory days. We still have the same players who won us all these trophies in the past couple of seasons. If you look at the team, there is a good balance of youngsters and experienced players.”
“At Orlando Pirates, when you join the team, they will tell you, you don’t play for a coach here, you play for the badge. The coaches come and go, and the players know very well. Moreover, Reveiro will always remain in our hearts. He’s done very well at Orlando Pirates.”