DURBAN - Orlando Pirates coach Josef Zinnbauer has refused to be complacent despite his side extending their unbeaten run to seven games in all competitions following a 1-0 Premiership win over struggling Bloemfontein Celtic at Orlando Stadium in Soweto on Tuesday.
The German also alluded to the fact that his side were suffering from fatigue after having played several matches in the various competitions over the past month.
“It was a difficult and tough match for us. The performance was not the best,” Zinnbauer said.
“We were very tired on the field after playing a lot of matches in the various competitions.
“We are happy with getting the three points. It’s a good result, but we must now focus on our game against Chippa United on Saturday.”
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The result left the Sea Robbers in third place on the league standings with 32 points after 19 games – four points adrift of leaders and defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns.
Zinnbauer has also since disclosed that the injured trio of Terrence Dzvukamanja, Thembinkosi Lorch and Nkanyiso Zungu could all be set to return to action when the club face off against Chippa at the Sisa Dukashe Stadium in Mdantsane on Saturday.
With the quality of the Buccaneers’ attack set to improve with the return of the injured players, supporters of the club will be hoping that they can challenge for the league title this season.
However, coach Zinnbauer said that his troops cannot be considered Premiership title candidates just yet.
“We can speak about this in the next few weeks,” he said.
“The focus for me now is on the next game against Chippa. After that we play against Sundowns in the Nedbank Cup.
“We know that we have to fight from game to game but we are happy with the three points even though the performance was not great.
“In the past we’ve drawn games where the performance was better.”
Zinnbauer paid tribute to Linda Mntambo, whose game time has increased over the past few weeks following a slow start to the season.
“He’s a worker, he has spirit and is a runner. This is what you need when you have a lot of games.
“I’m happy that he understands more and more how to play in different positions and he can also score and assist,” the German mentor added.
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IOL Sport