Former Orlando Pirates player slams the team (Pirates)

The Orlando Pirates lack the talent to win championships.

According to Bongani Ndulula, the Orlando Pirates will not win the league anytime soon because of the type of players they currently have.

Ndulula, who won two PSL titles with Pirates in 2011 and 2012, believes the current squad will be unable to break down an opponent who ‘parks the bus.’

While admitting that the Pirates have some talented players, Ndulula still feels the squad is capable of playing good football without producing results.

Opposing teams, according to Ndulula, are content to see the Pirates hold possession of the ball as long as they do not enter the final third.

“For me, at Pirates… to be honest with you, they don’t have the players to win them trophies. They don’t have the players to win them the league,” said Ndulula on Off The Pitch With TK.

“There are so many good players but they play a similar kind of football. Say, they play a team that parks the bus, and the way Pirates play, do you think they can get past that bus?

“They don’t have the players to say, if an opposition team parks the bus then they can get past that bus. You know how Pirates play? They play closer to their goals.

“And when you do that, there is nothing you can do against a team that parks the bus. They would be happy to see you play in front of them. Nothing would happen,” added Ndulula.

According to Ndulula, the Pirates don’t have enough leaders in their starting lineups, which is one of the reasons for their troubles.

He claimed that the leadership qualities of Thulani Hlatshwayo and Happy Jele are insufficient, and that the team should return to the days when players like Lucky Lekgwathi, Siyabonga Sangweni, and Moeneeb Josephs were part of the squad.

At Pirates, Ndulula listed Isaac Chansa, Onyekachi Okonkwo, Thulasizwe Mbuyane, Rooi Mahamutsa, and Ruben Cloete, among others.

Pirates can learn from sides like Mamelodi Sundowns and Manchester United, who have historically depended on experience to help them win league titles, according to the former Bafana Bafana striker.

“You can’t have two leaders out of 11 players that’s on the pitch and expect your team to win. Never!,” continued Ndulula.

“Remember, for you to win the league, you need the experience, especially in the second round. The time Pirates won the league, we had Rooi, Ruben Cloete, Sangweni, Lucky, Chansa, Okwonko, Juju, and Moeneeb at the back.”

“You put in that team and send it to go and fetch a point away from home, and that point is important in the league race.

“So, in this Pirates team, it’s the same thing from the start to finish. You will get hurt, and these people will get tired. That’s why Sundowns are dominating,” he said.

“When coach Pitso was still at Sundowns, he would play the kids in the first round of the season. Even Sir Alex Ferguson used to do the same; he would put in the likes of Welbeck in the first round but in the second round, he would put in the likes of Paul Scholes and Berbatov upfront – that’s experience.

“So, that’s why Pirates cannot win the league. Maybe in the next five years but if they would still be playing with the same players, they will not win the league,” concluded Ndulula.