AmaZulu coach Arthur Zwane recently expressed the difficulties in preparing to face Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns this season, with one team being much tougher to face in particular.
As it stands, Sundowns occupy top spot in the league, two points above second-placed Pirates with four games left to play.
However, despite Sundowns being the reigning champions and having experience winning silverware consistently, Zwane believes Pirates provided a trickier task for his side’s preparation this season.
In comparison, Zwane believes Sundowns are managing games rather than going for the jugular, while Pirates boast a relentless attacking department.
“We planned very well in terms of looking at other teams, how we can capitalise. And we knew that this season, the team that’s going to cause problems will be Pirates,” Zwane said, as per iDiskiTimes.
“Players, they will tell you because we had to analyse every team. We knew that a team like Sundowns, they’ll be having players that are going to be in the World Cup squad. Plenty of them.
“Their team went to the Club World Cup. And their players were going to compete in the Champions League. And that is why when you watch Sundowns, they no longer play football with tempo, they manage now. I don’t know if you’ve noticed.
“And that’s why Sundowns, they had to now do what? They didn’t care about Nedbank Cup. Now you can imagine, Nedbank Cup, Champions League, their players are going to the World Cup. They’re going to die. And now we had to target all the teams.
“Then we said, the only team that’s going to give us a problem, it’s Orlando Pirates. When you look at how they assembled their squad, the players, how they beef up their team, and player for player, all those players, they play with high intensity, in a structure, very solid structure, very dynamic.”
