Manqoba Mngqithi dissects Orlando Pirates' key strength | OneFootball

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Mngqithi identifies Bucs' strength

Photo: Manqoba Mngqithi

Carling All-Stars head coach Manqoba Mngqithi has identified Orlando Pirates' key strength this season, amid the Buccaneers' rich vein of fine form.

The Soweto giants clinched the Carling Cup last Saturday after securing a 2-0 victory over the star-studded fan-voted PSL team led by the KZN-born mentor at Moses Mabhida Stadium.

It was Pirates' third domestic cup title of the 2025/26 campaign and they currently top the Betway Premiership tbale with a two-point gap over second-placed Mamelodi Sundowns.

When quizzed on what sets Abdeslam Ouaddou's men apart from the other PSL teams, Mngqithi attributed it to clinical finishing and the major coup of Oswin Appollis and Tshepang Moremi.

“I think what is more fascinating with this Pirates team, which can suprise a lot of people is that they are just efficient and sometimes that dries up because when you look at the xGs sometimes, they don't create as many chances, they rely a lot on the mistakes of the opponents,” he noted.

"But they are able to punish most of those mistakes this season, which in the past they would miss a lot maybe because they don't create as many chances, but this season I think the inclusion of players like Moremi and Appollis has really refined their attacking play.

"You know what Appollis is capable of, and [Yanela] Mbuthuma maybe everywhere in that position but he's strong aerially and he works very hard defensively to press from the top. And that is something that they are building on.

With the Sea Robbers' impressive form, the former Sundowns mentor believes teams will adopt a low block approach against Pirates when domestic football resumes next year.

“And that efficiency sometimes if it dries up, you must rely on how much creativity, how much do you really force opponents to make mistakes because it's a different story to play on transition and it's a different story when you have to breakdown low blocks,” Mngqithi added.

"I can guarantee you from what they have done in the first half of the season - a lot of teams are going to sit back in the second half and when they sit back, then it asks a lot of questions in the team because at the moment I think they have created a lot of goals from transitions.