The midfielder has given his views on how the Buccaneers can end their long wait for a PSL title
Orlando Pirates midfielder Makhehleni Makhaula feels the Buccaneers have enough to win the league but must be consistent to achieve that dream.
Pirates last won the PSL in 2012 but have been showing signs of life in the last two campaigns under Spanish coach Jose Riveiro.
Back-to-back second place finishes as well as MTN8 and Nedbank Cup wins have given fans hopes of a title challenge in 2024-25 and there is also optimism from the fact that perennial champions Mamelodi Sundowns are under new management in the dugout.
Can Pirates really knock Sundowns off their perch?
However, Makhaula has dismissed the notion that the Brazilians will be easy pickings under Manqoba Mngqithi and Steve Komphela now that Rulani Mokwena is not at the club and is urging his team-mates to ensure their concentration levels are at an all-time high to have any chance.
“I don’t think [because of] what happened at Sundowns, the technical team changes, we could be the favourites,” Makhaula told IDiski Times.
“They still have the same players, they still have the same assistant coaches, so it’s the same team.
“But we don’t know if they can come and maybe surprise us with something else and the league is not [just] Sundowns. The league is Richards Bay, it’s AmaZulu, it’s [Kaizer] Chiefs but because they [Sundowns] are always winning the league, everyone is going to say that but we have the capacity to challenge them.
MTN8 win over SuperSport has Bucs fans believing
“We have the players. I have seen it in Spain and the new guys have gelled well. I have once said to my roommate that ‘you know we have a really good squad, like we can challenge for the league but we must concentrate each and every time and in each and every game because if we don’t concentrate, the teams will punish you. When they punish you it’s difficult to come back sometimes’.”
Pirates have so far signed three players in Gilberto, Thuso Moleleki and Selaelo Rasebotja as they look to challenge on multiple fronts.
The Soweto giants started their season brilliantly following a 3-1 defeat of SuperSport United in the MTN8 quarter-final last weekend, which further increased belief in a change of fortunes in the league this campaign.
