‘Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates must pull up their socks’ – Carelse

Brent Carelse believes Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates have allowed Mamelodi Sundowns to be in their comfort zone as far as challenging for the Premier League Soccer title is concerned.

The Brazilians have dominated the local scene for the last four seasons, winning the title consecutively and they have already launched a strong challenge to make it five titles in five this campaign.

While Chiefs last won the title in the 2014-15 season, Pirates lifted the trophy in the 2011-12 season.

The 40-year-old Carelse feels his former club Sundowns are in the comfort zone as far as the chase for the PSL title is concerned because they don’t have serious challengers.

'Pirates have been unpredictable'

Asked to explain how he rates Pirates display so far in this campaign, Carelse told Goal: “I don’t know…it is a very technical question but Pirates have been very unpredictable for quite some time and it is very disappointing in a way because every beginning of the season Pirates supporters will say this is their season, they have signed quality players but nothing happens.

“They have signed so and so, they are good to go but they don’t show it on the pitch, they have always said it is only Mamelodi Sundowns that they can go pound to pound with but I don’t see their dominance this season.

“Even when they played against Kaizer [Chiefs], I did not see them play well, I don’t see them scoring two to three goals and that is why there is a huge difference between them and Sundowns.

“They have been talking for a very long time but they don’t show what they are talking about, there is a huge difference between saying you will do something, and doing that something, they have not done anything really.”

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The former Ajax Cape Town player continued: “It all comes down to the players, the coaches yes they also have blame to take because at the end of the day they pick the players to play, they know, who is in the starting XI or not but in honest the entire squad and team have not come to the party.

“When is the last time Pirates dominated a game? I haven’t heard?”

'I don't think it is a turnaround for Chiefs'

On whether Chiefs are back to their best after the 4-0 win against Chippa United in their last league assignment, the former Bafana defender said: “Maybe yes but I am not sure…I don’t think it is a turnaround as yet.

"Why I say that if you look at last season they picked up so many points but the performance wasn’t the best, and we know a lot of people were complaining how they played but they picked up points,

“Whereas if you look probably 60 percent of their team is still there and Stuart [Baxter] is using all of them, the combination, chemistry is coming slowly and surely back and I saw recently Stuart saying he was the last coach to win something with Chiefs.

“But as you said, Chiefs and Pirates as well the supporters, the people who love those clubs want results instant results, and I don’t think it is unfair for them to ask for results because those are old clubs, they have been around for some time.

“They are clubs that should normally win trophies and you hear things like eight years without winning a trophy and another team I don’t know how many years without winning a trophy and it comes down to them, the clubs, the management of the club, the people who make the big decisions, those are the ones who should answer why they are not winning trophies.

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“As I said before, Pirates this season signed almost half of the team, but now they are not doing the same things they are signed to do and Chiefs is the same story [struggling all the time].

"They keep saying, we need so and so, and when they arrive nothing happens, it is a tough one, because football sometimes is crazy especially when someone wants to become successful, it is patient and you have to build it.

“It has not been happening for the two teams for quite some time and maybe they should try other routes, maybe use two years to try and get back to dominating the league.

“In all honesty, in the last 10 years Sundowns have dominated South African football, in all departments so there is no, maybe this or that, they have done it in all departments and I don’t think they are even worried about South Africa because they are now focusing in Africa.

“Chiefs and Pirates really need to pull up their socks and put up a serious challenge because we need them to play at the highest level.”