Sports

Orlando Pirates Coach Josef Zinnbauer Hits Back at His Critics: "Remember MTN8"

Wednesday, June 02, 2021 at 4:41 PM by Phumzile Ngcatshe

- Orlando Pirates coach Josef Zinnbauer says he understands the frustrations of his critics over the games the side has lost, but admits a section of the fans are still supported him and the team

- Zinnbauer will be looking to lead the Pirates team to a win against Baroka in the DStv Premiership away from home on Wednesday afternoon

- Pirates won the MTN8 trophy under Zinnbauer and the German coach has also reminded the fans to never forget that

- Despite reaching the quarter-finals of the CAF Confederation Cup, Pirates supporters are still not happy with Zinnbauer's tactical planning and team selection

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Ahead of their DStv Premiership clash against Baroka on Wednesday, Orlando Pirates coach Josef Zinnbauer has sent a strong message to his critics. The Buccaneers go to the clash still licking their wounds from the defeat against TS Galaxy last Sunday.

Zinnbauer addresses the media

“You have always some supporters that are upset after games you lost, that is totally normal and I can understand the supporters. But we have the other side of supporters that give you positives – don't forget, we won a title in this season, we go to the [Confederation Cup] quarter-final.

"Yes, you can always find negative points but we see the other side also – there's experience for the players. Success is not always the first point you have in a team, especially in these Covid-19 times, with how many games you have and how many injured players. You have to learn from the mistakes you made as a coach and as a squad, and then you go forward and everyone is happy when we get success."

Pirates targeting number two spot

Looking at the log standings, the Soweto giants sit fourth with 46 points and will hope AmaZulu and Golden Arrows don’t win their remaining two matches. Benni McCarthy’s team has 50 points at number two while Abafana Bes’thende, coached by Mandla Ncikazi, have 46 next to their name.

Although Zinnbauer has the MTN8 trophy in the cabinet after he ended a six-year wait for silverware, the Buccaneers fans are not happy with the coach’s tactics or planning.

Along the same vein, some die-hard supporters had expected the manager to lead the club to the semi-finals of the CAF Confederation Cup, however they lost to Raja Casablanca in the Last Eight.

Will Pirates also sack Zinnbauer like Kaizer Chiefs?

In other sports news trending at the moment, Briefly News reported that former Kaizer Chiefs coach Gavin Hunt has just landed a new job after being sacked by the Amakhosi side. Hunt will form part of the team of experts to analyse, preview and review the upcoming EURO football tournament.