Johannesburg - “There is no magic wand in football,” said Orlando Pirates coach Muhsin Ertugral as he looked ahead to his new job in charge of the Bucs.
Yet the well-travelled Turkish coach has to weave his magic and turn a side that spent most of last season as chumps to champions. Succeed there and the man on his sixth PSL club would shed his reputation as just a knockout specialist, Ertugral having won numerous cup competitions locally.
He came close to winning the league with Kaizer Chiefs in 2000/01 when they finished runners-up in a season that saw Amakhosi win everything on offer, including the 2001 Mandela Cup.
“This team (Pirates) was number seven last season,” Ertugral said. “We need time to get certain aspects right. I have proven more than once that I can get teams to play beautiful football.”
Playing beautiful football is as important as winning at Pirates. Ertugral knows that because he competed against the Buccaneers as Chiefs coach, and faced them a number of times with the four other clubs he has coached. His first task is to improve the defence that could do with an injection of speed.
“What were our mistakes last season? The defensive line for sure. The process of when we have the ball on the side, and how we get it into the middle (is another problem that we need to work on). We have three Under-23 players at the Olympics (Abbubaker Mobara, Gift Motupa and Thabiso Kutumela). They’re top players. They will give that spirit of young boys,” Ertugral said.
In strengthening the defence, Ertugral has tipped Gladwin Shitolo to play a starring role at the back. The versatile 26-year-old has so far been underrated at Pirates who sent him on loan to Golden Arrows last season.
But Ertugral plans to centre his defence around him given his ball-playing abilities. He wants the club’s defenders to lose their attitude of just hoofing the ball forward.
Instead, they must be the club’s launch-pad for attacks. That’s whyhe plans to use Mobara as a midfielder to provide muscle for Oupa Manyisa and Mpho Makola to attack with freedom. On the wings, Pirates have depth from powerful figures to fast and skilful wingers who can put defenders under their spell with their wizardry - turning their feet into magic wands.
Analysis
They have been very busy in this transfer window. They changed their technical team, off-loaded a number of players and made 12 signings. And there could still be more. All of this is a good foundation for the club to celebrate their 80th anniversary in style, winning the championsgip. But it will take some doing to achieve that. The new faces and the old ones need to click quickly while they understand Ertugral’s philosophy.
Pirates will start this campaign fresh, without the continental football that mentally drained them last season after they lost in the final. A lot of self-doubt followed after that disappointment which saw the club drag themselves to the finish line and somehow make the top eight cut.
The demands on Ertugral from Pirates and himself will be higher than securing a top eight finish. The Soweto giants have assembled a squad full of speed.
A lot of that was needed at the back where they were slow, with an ageing defence that was easily exploited. Their pre-season hasn't been great, with losses to Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns already sending The ghost panicking. But the matches that count start on August 24 when they take on Ertugral’s former team Golden Arrows, and only then can the Buccaneers' faithful start judging whether the man who has previously coached Santos, Ajax Cape Town and Mpumalanga Black Aces has what it takes to lead them to glory in their special year.
Key man
Oupa Manyisa
Pirates were a shadow of themselves without their “Ace” last season. Manyisa spent most of that campaign nursing a fractured ankle. For someone who thrives on action, watching from the sidelines would have been very tough for the Pirates’ captain. That time out gave Manyisa a deserved rest after missing out on a good break since the club won back-to-back domestic trebles that started in the 2010/11 season. Rested and ready to make up for lost time, Manyisa will be key for Ertugral. He is, after all, the club’s heartbeat - the 28-year-old always leading by example through his committed performances.
New Signings
Bernard Morrison, Riyaad Norodien, Jackson Mabokgwane, Ayanda Nkosi, Abbubaker Mobara, Donald Mokondolela, Thabiso Kutumela, Nkosinathi Mthiyane, Marshall Munetsi (loaned to Baroka FC), Mahlatse Makudubela, Justice Chabalala and Sello Japhta.
Last five seasons
Seventh, Fourth, Fourth, Third and First
The Star