ORLANDO Pirates captain Innocent Maela anticipates another ‘exciting’ season for the club, and he’s banking on their talismen to continue with their exploits.
Pirates are the team to beat in domestic cups this term. They won the MTN8 and Nedbank Cup last season, while their only blemish was missing out on Carling Knockout cup.
The Buccaneers will start their MTN8 title defence against SuperSport United who’ll visit them at Orlando Stadium today (6pm kick-off).
Pirates are favourites to march to the semi-final given the fact that they boast players who set the top flight football alight last season.
Patrick Maswanganyi had a memorable debut season at Pirates, winning multiple prizes at the PSL awards, including the Players’ Player of the Season gong.
But he won’t be the only threat for his former club SuperSport United. Another former SuperSport player Thalente Mbatha and Pirates sensation Relebohile Mofokeng are set to be danger men as well.
Mofokeng, notably, also had a fine season last term, including steering the Sea Robbers to the Ke Yona Cup crown in the final against Mamelodi Sundowns.
Maela has no doubt that Pirates’ best players from last season will continue to build on their momentum and deliver more success to the club.
“The first thing that you need to check is the humility – are they humble enough to remain coachable? And if so, then they’ll go far,” he said.
“If you carry a good spirit within yourself, and you are a good human being, then life and the universe will take you further. I think they do have that. They are good guys, so I think they’ll continue to grow. Obviously, there’ll be challenges here and there. Things will not be the same.
“But I think they’ll be massive for us – their contribution will be key. So, I think it’s going to be another exciting season for Orlando Pirates.”
Pirates have made a host of promotions and signings, which include Angolan attacker Deivi Miguel Vieira, who’s affectionately known as Gilberto.
And having Gilberto and Co with the team during their pre-season tour of Spain, Maela believes that the newbies should make a seamless adaptation.
“One thing that we need to agree upon is that the demands of playing for a team like Orlando Pirates are not the same with other teams,” Maela said.
“But going back to Tito, I think we need to give credit to how the team is set up, how we train, and give platforms to the new players to showcase their talents.
“I am sure the new players can now see the demand is too high; the pressure is a lot. But we are there for them whenever they need our support. I truly believe that they’ll do well this season considering how we train and prepare for matches – the platform for everyone to perform.”
Vincent Pule who recently joined SuperSport from Pirates during the ongoing window transfer will be eager to show the latter that he still has their training manual when the two teams meet tonight.
Maela is looking forward to meeting his now long-distance brother, hoping that he’ll give him some words of commiserations after the game in Orlando.
“I have been here at Orlando Pirates for so long. So that means I’ll be excited every time because I always face my former teammates,” joked Maela.
“But he’s a good friend of mine. A good left footer, player and human being. You don’t spend six years at Pirates without having a good spirit within yourself. All the best to him. I wish him an injury-free season. And hopefully, I get to say sorry to him after the match. But yeah, I am definitely looking forward to playing against him.”