Former Orlando Pirates midfielder William “Naughty” Mokoena has weighed
in on the tightening Betway Premiership title race, suggesting that while
Mamelodi Sundowns are accustomed to fixture congestion, this season presents
a golden opportunity for his former club to dethrone the champions.
Sundowns recently navigated a demanding week, defeating Orbit College 2-0 in
a midweek league fixture to draw level on points with log-leaders Orlando
Pirates. The Brazilians currently sit atop the standings thanks to a
superior goal difference, having also beaten Polokwane City just a day
before their midweek clash.
However, the schedule has drawn criticism from Sundowns coach Miguel
Cardoso, who expressed concern after his side was forced to play a crucial
CAF Champions League quarter-final first leg against Stade Malien just two
days later. The tight turnaround raises the question: could the accumulation
of matches work in Pirates’ favor?
Mokoena doesn’t believe Sundowns will buckle under the pressure. “I don’t
see any disadvantage,” Mokoena told PSLSA. “They are used to playing CAF and
winning the league at the same time. If Sundowns win all their games, they
should win the league.”
While acknowledging that Sundowns are conditioned for a heavy workload—being
the team that consistently plays the most fixtures in the league—Mokoena
believes the dynamics of this season’s title race are different.
“It’s not mind games, it’s what we can all see, but they are used to this
situation. It’s a good thing, it’s been a long time since we’ve seen a title
race so tight. At least our football is changing,” he said.
Mokoena believes the stars are aligning for the Buccaneers. “I think now
it’s time for Pirates, this is their chance now to win the league, and they
have a big chance of winning the league.”
With the title hanging in the balance, the former Bafana Bafana midfielder
stressed that there is no room for error. “Both teams, there’s no way they
would want to drop points. Any team that drops points, the other one is
gone. So they (Pirates) must be careful of not dropping points. We will see
at the finish line. Pirates have to hang in there, get the three points.
They stand a good chance and they have to win it.”
