There are no coaches at Orlando Pirates - Khanye

Former Kaizer Chiefs winger Junior Khanye feels Orlando Pirates “don’t have a leader” after witnessing them lose 2-0 to Mamelodi Sundowns in a Premier Soccer League match on Saturday.

A Peter Shalulile brace sank the Soweto giants who succumbed to their first league defeat of the season.

It was a result which left Pirates five points adrift of log leaders Sundowns.

Khanye feels the Buccaneers' defence was not solid and their technical team was not astute to engineer a victory. 

“Pirates are a good team, but currently they don’t have coaches. They don’t have a leader,” Khanye told iDiski TV.

“They cannot defend one on one. I’m talking about Tyson [Thulani Hlatshwayo] and Happy Jele. Shalulile was staging in the box. [Thabiso] Kutumela and Kermit [Erasmus] as well and it became a problem. [Goodman] Mosele was always late. Why is he playing by the way? He cannot cover the distance and is always playing backwards. He is overrated.

“I’m sorry, why is he playing week in, week out? Look at him, he can’t play going forward. He doesn’t understand being a defensive midfielder. Technically he is poor, he passes backwards.”

Striker Tshegofatso Mabasa was entrusted with leading Pirates’ attack but could not breach the Sundowns defence manned by three centre-backs Mosa Lebusa, Rivaldo Coetzee and Rushine De Reuck.

Abel Mabaso was played as a central midfielder and Khanye believes the former Mamelodi Sundowns man is being underutilised.

“Mabaso is a good player for me technically but I would play him as a centre-back or right-back.If you play him with Mosele, they will play sideways and backwards,” said Khanye.

“It means you don’t have midfielders. There is something wrong with the technical team is doing in terms of pound-to-pound. But the Sundowns technical team is doing good. These are two big teams.

“There is no balance in the Pirates team. There is no one on the left side. There are a lot of holes. It’s very disappointing they cannot combine some passes.”

After losing Saturday’s match, Pirates now prepare to visit Cape Town City in their next league match.