Orlando Pirates must go all in to end Mamelodi Sundowns’ reign

Second place surely cannot be good enough this time around for Orlando Pirates. Bridesmaids to Mamelodi Sundowns in the league for the past two seasons, the Buccaneers must be hell-bent on usurping the Brazilians in the upcoming campaign.

They showed last season that they can run Sundowns close, having significantly narrowed the points gap compared to the season before. The big question, though, is whether the change of coach will have a positive or negative effect on Pirates’ ambitions.

Jose Riveiro managed to give Sundowns a run for their money because he had been at the club for three seasons and had already established a winning formula and built a trusted team that he stuck with.

That continuity could well be affected this time around, with new coach Abdeslam Ouaddou likely to want to build his own team. But why fix it if it isn’t broken, right?

Logic would suggest that the Moroccan should carry on where the Spaniard left off if Pirates are to remain competitive and continue to be the side most likely to hassle Sundowns for the Betway Premiership title. Coaches are different, though, and while Ouaddou will no doubt want to build on the solid foundation Riveiro left behind before moving to Al Ahly in Egypt, he will also be keen to put his personal stamp on the team.

He will be helped in that regard by the fact that the club have made some significant signings, bringing in big-name players who were surely not bought to warm the bench. During the club’s pre-season tour of Spain, he gave some of those players a run, and one thing is now certain: unlike under Riveiro, the Pirates starting line-up will no longer be predictable.

How could it be, when Ouaddou has, for example, a myriad of superb central midfielders to choose from?

The arrivals of Sipho Mbule, Msindi Nemtajela, Sihle Nduli, Tshepang Moremi, Tshepo Mashiloane and Oswin Appollis mean the battle for starting berths will be intensely competitive — and that can only drive performance levels higher across the squad.

What will excite Ouaddou even more is the versatility of some of these new players — including Sinoxolo Kwayiba and Nksokhona Ndaba — which will offer him numerous tactical options.

That Pirates have gone so big in the transfer market — even as they’ve released several players — is a clear signal that they have taken note of Sundowns’ winning model. The Brazilians’ dominance is built on the ability to field different starting line-ups while maintaining high performance.

Their bench is stacked with quality, and in-game changes rarely weaken the team.

This was not the case for Pirates in recent campaigns, but now it appears they finally have the depth to compete from the bench. They impressed on the continent last season, reaching the semi-finals of the CAF Champions League with a limited squad, having also won the MTN8 and reached the Nedbank Cup final.

Their pedigree in knockout competitions is without question. But their biggest challenge this coming season must be in the league, where they have not tasted success since the 2011/12 season.

Stopping Sundowns from winning a ninth successive title has to be their top priority — and the signs suggest they have assembled a squad capable of doing just that.

But can they?