He makes Relebohile Mofokeng, Oswin Appollis and Tshepang Moremi shine! Orlando Pirates striker Yanela Mbuthuma defended despite criticism

In the football world, there is no doubt that strikers are primarily judged by the number of goals scored.

A centre-forward can create as many chances as possible for his teammates, but at the end of the day, he will be praised or criticised by the number of times he finds the back of the net.

This is a situation that Yanela Mbuthuma has found himself in as pundits question whether he can deliver a double-digit goal tally in a single season.

Former Pirates star Lucky Lekgwathi has defended Lekgwathi and said he deserves more credit than criticism.

“We can say strikers don’t score goals, but I’m looking at [Yanela] Mbuthuma the way he’s playing,” Lekgwathi told iDiski Times.

“The boy is working very hard. I think he deserves credit for the goals because he always creates space for them and works for them. You look at the goals that they score; Mbuthuma will make sure that he creates space and takes the defenders away.

Apart from working hard, Lekgwathi believes Mbuthuma is the reason why his teammates - Relebohile Mofokeng, Oswin Appollis and Tshepang Moremi - are shining.

"And for Appollis, Rele and [Tshepang] Moremi, it’s easy for them to score goals because of the mobile defender, the way the boy [Mbuthuma] works.

“So, for me, I think you look at their form; they’ve been scoring all these previous games, and I think nothing can stop them from continuing to score, as long as they work hard like they are now," he added.

"The boys work hard, they defend, they attack, and I think there’s something that motivates them. With the league going to an end, those boys deserve awards. I think even for them, they are working for that. They are close to getting awards like Player of the Season and others. I think both of them are going to get nominated, and they are working hard for that.

"Playing against Kaizer Chiefs, winning Man of the Match and scoring goals is going to give them that opportunity to win the Footballer of the Season [award]. I think there’s a motivation behind all that, even Bafana Bafana and the World Cup coming," the Pirates legend concluded.

Former Pirates star Andries Sebola believes the former Richards Bay striker can make a difference in the Soweto Derby on Sunday.

"The dynamics of the Soweto Derby often transcend previous form, as the result depends on the team that capitalises on their chances. Football is all about converting your chances," Sebola told KickOff.

“Mbuthuma's confidence should be up after his goal against AmaZulu. He is a hard-working striker who challenges defenders and creates opportunities.

"Although his positioning and finishing can be better, I believe if everything aligns for him, Mbuthuma could be the hero for Pirates on Sunday."