Orlando Pirates have been crowned champions of three cup finals, and
former Bucs forward Jacky Styles Ledwaba has revealed to the Siya crew how
they have become a target for clubs in the PSL. Despite their recent
success, there are now concerns about Pirates’ league form.
In an exclusive interview with PSLSA, Ledwaba said clubs are forcing draws
against Pirates because they want to prove a point. “You know in football
the more you win you attract attention. Each and everyone wants to beat
the champions. You need to be on your toes all the time. You know when
Chippa United or Sekhukhune United play against Golden Arrows they won’t
put up the same fighting spirit as when they face Pirates,” he said.
“They know they are playing against the cup specialists and they want to
beat Pirates. Even the opposition players are more motivated to play and
beat Pirates and their attitude is different because they know they will
be more recognised when they up their game against Pirates.”
Ledwaba added that football is a funny game, going on to discuss how
Pirates will catch up with their fixtures when Mamelodi Sundowns are busy
in the African Football League. “It’s even more tricky when you have games
in hand. You have to play all those games before you can count the points.
You lose or draw one game then those are points dropped. Now you have to
fight to recover. That’s where Pirates are now. They have to play each
game in hand like a cup final now and make sure they collect as many
points as they can to move away from that position while there is still
time,” he concluded.
