Julio Leal says he was welcomed with open arms by the players who spoke so fondly of his predecessor in the dying days of last season, the new Orlando Pirates coach pledging to ensure even more success for the Buccaneers next term.
Leal took charge of Pirates for the first time this week, officially inheriting a treble-winning team that lost their mentor because of the depar-ture of Ruud Krol.
Leal has now been installed as the head coach, but faces a tough task matching the heights of last term, although the Brazilian is prepared to make an immediate impact.
“I was impressed by what I saw when we met the players for the first time (on Tuesday). We’ve had two sessions a day this week, and it’s been great. I have seen that there’s commitment, professionalism and quality in the team. I’m very satisfied so far,” Leal said.
He also revealed that he would trim the squad to “about 28 to 30 players” as that would be more manageable, although that could be tricky given that notoriously Pirates have always had a big squad.
“We had a few meetings with management and we gave them a list of players we recommend to leave because, frankly, I don’t see some of them getting game time. I think a fair number of players to work with would be about 28 or 30. We will have a big responsibility in the next season because we also have the African Champions League. But if the team need reinforcing, we can do that in the January transfer window,” Lead added.
Without promising that he would emulate Krol and clinch the domestic league championship and two other trophies, Leal, nonetheless, emphasised he had no fears of having taken arguably the most challenging coaching seat in the country.
“When I agreed to coach Pirates, I did so with no fear whatsoever. I’m confident I will succeed. As the chairman (Irvin Khoza) said, you’ve got to have positive thoughts and positive attitude.”
Leal is unfazed by the outrage that was triggered by the Bucs management’s decision not to retain Krol, with some among the Ghost still unreceptive of the new regime.
It was pointed out to the Brazilian that failure even in fatuous pre-season competitions such as the Vodacom Challenge and the Black Label Cup could add more pressure before the real deal begins, but he was unperturbed.
“The nature of supporters is the same all over the world. They can be disappointed today, but tomorrow they can be cheering your name. I promise to make them happy by not only winning, but also playing entertaining and attractive football.
“That has always been my methodology. This, however, will require time. But once we have settled in, we will bring joy to the Pirates fans and we will be here for the more than three years that we signed for.”