Given their readiness and urge to improve, Orlando Pirates are not fazed by the pressure and outside noise that comes with defending the MTN8.
Pirates are the team to beat for domestic cup competitions this season, having won both the MTN8 and Nedbank Cup in coach Jose Riveiro’s first season in charge of the team.
Their campaign got off to a mild start last week. Orlando Pirates lost their opening league match 1-0 to Stellenbosch FC, before redeeming themselves with a 4-2 win over Royal AM at home.
With the league a marathon, they can be forgiven for blemishes here and there – but not in cup competitions such as the Wafa Wafa tournament, where four wins guarantees the silverware.
Pirates captain Innocent Maela, speaking at the launch of the MTN8 in Randburg this week, said they are ready to start their title defence against Sekhukhune United at Orlando Stadium on Saturday (6pm kick-off).
“We are going into this campaign as the defending champions, so we believe that we are ready as the team and the preparations have been going really well,” Maela said.
“As the defending champions, there’s pressure, but we are glad that we are carrying this responsibility. We must go out there and deliver this trophy.
“Our focus and energy will always be within the structure and the club. We don’t pay too much attention to what is happening on the outside.”
And while it’s usually difficult to block the outside – which is normally stoked by the fans of arch-rivals – Pirates seem to put their money where their mouth is: focusing on themselves.
The Buccaneers know that they didn’t start the season as many expected, but Maela believes they played well regardless.
“I think with the way we started this season, the team is playing well. The performances have been great so going to this cup, it’s another opportunity to improve,” Maela said.
Maela is right that they can still improve. Having led 3-0 against Royal AM at some point, they should have won by a bigger margin. But lapses of concentration nearly led to their downfall, before they wrapped up the game via Bandile Shandu’s stoppage time goal.
Cup matches such as the MTN8 do not have room for error though, hence clean sheets and goals become the order of the day.
And with the champions of the MTN8 also receiving a sum of money to donate to a charity of their choice for every goal scored, Maela is hopeful that the tournament will have goals galore.
“Not only us as the team, but we are hoping that throughout the competition, we are going to have a lot of goals,” said Maela.
“But in terms of our planning, the only focus and energy that we put in is what the coach demands and expects from us – which is to go out there and win the match.”
@Mihlalibaleka