On Saturday, Maritzburg United took on Orlando Pirates in a thrilling encounter, with the Buccaneers narrowly winning 2-1.
After the match, Maritzburg head coach Fadlu Davids gave his thoughts on the current Pirates team compared to last season when he was the co-coach. Davids had a tumultuous season with Pirates, as they failed to win any trophies and finished sixth in the league standings.
At the end of the season, the 41-year-old coach left the club and was replaced by Jose Riveiro. Speaking to the media in a press conference, Davids said that the current Pirates team is different from last season, and his knowledge of the Soweto giants did not help much in the preparations.
“Pirates is a different team that they were last season, they really have a flexible playing style, that they can suddenly be in a three-man defensive line, with an overlapping side centre-back,” Davids said.
“They can be in a four defensive line, so really flexible in how they play, my knowledge is one thing. Every match we analyze, we go into details where we can get small advantages.” He noted that the Buccaneers had signed 12 new players, with most of them being on the pitch in the match against Maritzburg.
“They don’t have the CAF to worry about, we know the league is now the priority, as it was last season. So the preparation, the knowledge of the team, the knowledge of the stadium, the knowledge of the fans,” the coach added.
Davids also highlighted the importance of the players’ bravery and tactical plan, saying it was key to taking on a club like Orlando Pirates. “You could see going into half-time if we had kept it (0-0), the tension growing at Orlando Stadium, it’s a small factor.
It’s the tactical plan that you prepare, the knowledge I have, you can relay to the players but they have to step into the pitch, execute, be brave and take on a club like Orlando Pirates,” he concluded.
