Orlando Pirates striker Evidence Makgopa has downplayed their inefficiency as strikers so far this season, saying “only time will tell” as none of them have yet to find the back of the net.
Pirates, who'll be attempting to win their fourth MTN8 title on the trot when they trade blows with Stellenbosch in this year's Wafa Wafa final at Mbombela Stadium on Saturday, have found the back of the net 10 times from eight games across the league and the MTN8 thus far this season.
Of all those 10 goals, none was scored by a striker.
“Only time will tell, but I am not even worried,” Makgopa said when asked whether he was concerned that he and fellow strikers hadn't yet scored a goal.
Makgopa, Tshegofatso Mabasa, Boitumelo Radiopane and newcomer Yanela Mbuthumba are the four strikers on Pirates' roster this term. Coach Abdeslam Ouaddou favoured Radiopane in the first few games of the season, before resorting to Makgopa and Mabasa in recent games.
Makgopa has insisted that the competition among them as marksmen doesn't make them enemies at all. “I always tell people that before we are competitors, we are brothers,” the Bucs striker said.
“The brotherhood we have in the team makes our job easy. I am learning a lot of things from Tshego [Mabasa], Boitumelo and even Mbuthuma, as new as he is in the team, so there's no jealousy among us as strikers. We're just a happy bunch of players, willing to help the team achieve its goals.”
Makgopa also cautioned his teammates against underestimating Stellies on Saturday now that they've already beaten them (1-0 at home) in the league and they won last season's MTN8 final against them.
“Yes, we have already beaten Stellenbosch in the league this season and we beat them in the final last season, but that doesn't give us any advantage, so we mustn't underestimate them.
"A final is always a different ball game, and anything can happen, so we just have to execute our game plan and forget about what we have done against Stellies in the past,” Makgopa said.
Pirates' goalscorers so far
Kamogelo Sebelebele (3)
Patrick Maswanganyi (3)
Oswin Appollis, Lebone Seema, Deon Hotto and Tshepang Moremi (one each).
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