With Orlando Pirates set for another trip to Spain for their pre-season, the supporters and everyone associated with the club will be excited in anticipation of another successful season.
The Siya crew broke the news this week that the Buccaneers will be going back to Spain this year on another pre-season tour where they are expected to play high-profile friendlies.
Last season, the team was there as coach Jose Riveiro prepared the players against tough Spanish sides and the move paid dividends as Bucs completed a second successive double with the MTN8 and Nedbank Cup triumphs.
Former Pirates striker James Mothibi explains why he is anticipating another successful campaign for Ezimnyama.
The Good
"It is good that Orlando Pirates will be going back to Spain for their pre-season as that can only benefit the team in their preparations for what could be another successful season. It is going to be a second trip to Spain for the club in this kind of way as they were there last season as well and managed to have a good season in the end. I foresee another fruitful trip to Spain that is likely to yield positive results for the team. We saw what happened this past season in how the team performed and did well in winning trophies. The experience that the team will gain in Spain will add on what was learnt last season and that will be good for the club. I see that there is improvement on the opposition that Pirates will face. Sevilla is a very big team and I'm sure that with time more teams will join these high-profile pre-season games. I'm sure that Barcelona will be next," said Mothibi.
The Bad
"I remember that before the start of last season there was a lot of criticism from people who were against Pirates' trip and how the coach has been doing things. I have always been about supporting the coach in whatever he is doing, and I remember appealing to people to give him a chance to put his plans into practicality and see how he would do with the team. It's always good to allow a coach to show what he can do and then you can criticise if what he does doesn't work. Our problem in the country is that we like to criticise, and we do that a lot with coaches, even without knowing what they are all about," he said.
The Ugly
"I always advise the media and football fans about respect when it comes to professional football and the decisions on coaches. I always advise them to respect the people who identify coaches for clubs for they know what they are doing. The person or people who identified Jose Riveiro for Pirates know the culture of the club and the characteristics needed from one to coach the club," Mothibi added.
"Rele and co to benefit"
"I can see what the club is trying to achieve. The objective for Pirates is to give these players opportunities at the highest level. Talented youngsters like Relebohile Mofokeng are set to benefit from these kinds of trips. For him and others, it is an opportunity to be seen by the Spanish clubs and clubs from elsewhere in the world. Messi was signed as a 12-year-old at Barcelona, and if there is an opportunity for Rele to be signed by a big European club at 19, then let it be. These high-profile friendlies attract interest from coaches and scouts from around the world and therefore it is an opportunity for the Pirates players to be scouted," concluded Mothibi.
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