orlando pirates news

Josef Zinnbauer, coach of Orlando Pirates during the Absa Premiership 2019/20 Orlando Pirates Media Day at the Rand Stadium, Johannesburg on the 13 January 2020 ©Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix

Orlando Pirates: Zinnbauer pleased with fringe players stepping up

Josef Zinnbauer has been forced to chop and change his starting XI since taking over at Orlando Pirates.

orlando pirates news

Josef Zinnbauer, coach of Orlando Pirates during the Absa Premiership 2019/20 Orlando Pirates Media Day at the Rand Stadium, Johannesburg on the 13 January 2020 ©Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix

Time on the sidelines has not cooled down Orlando Pirates’ back-up brigade, who have stepped up when required, much to coach Josef Zinnbauer’s delight.

Injury and suspension has forced the German tactician into mixing it up a bit, thrusting a few fringe players into the starting line-up in the absence of the first-team regulars.

Squad depth pays off for Orlando Pirates

So far, the gaps left by the absentees have been plugged more than sufficiently with, most recently, defenders Bongani Sam and Paseko Mako fitting seamlessly into the team, despite having spent the majority of the season on the bench.

This was after the suspension picked up by Vincent Pule, the latest of many Orlando Pirates players to have been unavailable due to ill-discipline throughout this season.

Zinnbauer admitted that the yellow-card issue was a problem, but lauded the men who have stepped up for churning in some good performances.

“We have a problem with picking up yellow cards and players who then can’t play,” said Zinnbauer. “But all players work in training and as you saw, we brought in a player and he performs. We have players coming in, like Sam, who has in a long time not had a game but he comes in and gives a good performance, so I’m happy about this. “The same goes for Mako too, and that is the thing that is good at the moment – we have players wanting to break into the team and those that are in the team don’t want to be taken out. So, this is what is working now, and we have fun in training.

“We don’t always make it fun, but we want to have fun. We want running with the ball; we want running without the ball, but when we have results then it’s easier to work with the team.”

Josef Zinnbauer

More forced changes on the cards

Pirates are fifth on the table, some 12 points behind log leaders Kaizer Chiefs.

They next play the struggling AmaZulu at Orlando Stadium, where they will look to collect another three points, which would take their tally to 13 in the six matches since Zinnbauer took over.

However, they will have to do with two more players in Ntsikelelo Nyauza and Abel Mabaso, while Pule returns from his one-match ban.

“Now we have Pule coming back but Ntsiki [Nyauza] and Mabaso are out. So, we’ll have other players coming in and I hope they give their best performance, then we’ll see what the situation is in the next game afterwards,” Zinnbauer said.

Josef Zinnbauer

Kick-off on Saturday is at 18:00 (SAST).