Kermit Erasmus of Orlando Pirates celebrates his goal with teammates. Photo: BackpagePix

Pirates star: A lot of the time I have to coach my teammates!

Orlando Pirates striker Kermit Erasmus has boldly explained why he doesn’t ‘think about the game like most players’.

by Craig Lewis

09-05-2023 10:53

in Premier Soccer League

Kermit Erasmus of Orlando Pirates celebrates his goal with teammates. Photo: BackpagePix

This past weekend, Orlando Pirates secured a spot in the Nedbank Cup final following their 2-1 win over rivals Kaizer Chiefs in their semi-final clash at FNB Stadium.

Kermit Erasmus, who has been a key member of the Pirates squad this season, once again had a big role to play in the victory as his opening goal set the Buccaneers on their way to a famous victory.

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Interestingly, he has now spoken about the way he views the game, suggesting it is in a very different light to most other players.

“I don’t think about the game like most players. I think four steps in advance. I look before I move. I don’t just move for the sake of it. A lot of the time I have to coach my teammates so that we don’t move in each other’s spaces. That’s how I play the game,” he commented, as quoted by SuperSport.com.

“I was fortunate to have come through a youth academy that had a partnership with Feyenoord in The Netherlands. That made me think differently about the game. Today football is all about manipulating spaces and I try and see where the space is and encourage my teammates to move into dangerous spaces that could hurt the opposition and create chances for us to score.

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“If I see things aren’t going the way we’ve planned on the field, you’ll see a response from me,” he added. “As a senior player I know what’s expected of us as players for this club. I’ll help players to understand this and believe in themselves. I’m that positive voice in their ears to help them achieve what they’re capable of and make sure they don’t doubt themselves.

“But the Soweto Derby is a special game on its own. Sometimes there are 94 000 people in the stadium if it’s sold out, so communication on the field is hard because the noise is just so overwhelming.

“That’s when you have to make eye contact with your teammates. Sometimes communicating with your eyes is just as important as communicating verbally. You’ve always got to make sure we’re ok visually by looking at each other on the field and supporting each other.”

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