The German tactician slammed his players for being casual with Bucs set to face Amakhosi, who defeated Chippa United on Tuesday
Orlando Pirates head coach Josef Zinnbauer says it is time for his charges to wake-up after dropping points against Stellenbosch FC on Tuesday night.
The Buccaneers were held to a 1-1 draw by Stellies in the Premier Soccer League (PSL) match at Orlando Stadium.
It was Pirates’ second successive 1-1 draw having started the new 2020/21 season with a draw against AmaZulu FC over the weekend.
Zinnbauer’s side struggled to contain Stellies in the first-half, but Bucs played much better after the restart.
“I’m not happy with the first-half. But we demonstrated what’s possible in the second half, what we can do,” Zinnbauer told SuperSport TV.
“This is something I don’t understand. First-half, not playing, no build-up no defensive structure. And then in the second half, you see all that we can do.
“What we have to do in 90 minutes, you get the answer in the second half. It’s not possible you can play 45 minutes with such a performance and get three points. These are the things we have to change,” he continued.
“I say it again. In the first-half, I don’t understand this football we played and then in the second half. But it was not enough for three points. As a coach, I don’t understand.”
The 50-year-old mentor could not explain why his side finds it difficult to sustain the same level of performance throughout the game.
“It’s five minutes after the game. We analyse the game, we find the key. But as a coach, I don’t understand, why we don’t play for the whole 90 minutes. We can say now it’s substitutes. But the other players on the field have the same quality,” he continued.
“I think we need a wake-up call. It’s not possible to go into a game so casually. This is my meaning. You see what we can do. You see it. And this is the things I don’t understand. But we come back.”
Pirates’ key striker Frank Mhango was substituted at half-time after picking up an injury and Zinnbauer is unsure whether the Malawi international will be fit for Saturday’s clash against Kaizer Chiefs in the MTN8.
“No, I’m not happy with a point. It’s clear. The performance I can live with but we need more points, you need three points it’s a home game. But that’s football. We have one point. We have to work on the next game now,” he said.
“Yes, it’s a cup game, am MTN8 game. It’s important to focus on the next game. But also the league is important. We have to play well in the league.
“We have to see what happens with Gaba [Mhango], he had an injury. But [;erato] Lepasa made a good game, and Terrence [Dzvukamanja] after coming in.”
Pirates will host Chiefs at Orlando Stadium in the semi-final first-leg encounter.
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