Ofori banks on Usuthu’s mental strength against Pirates

AmaZulu’s Richard Ofori has shot down the notion that the intensity of his former team, Orlando Pirates, has dropped a bit after the premature departure of coach Jose Riveiro as the two teams meet at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday (3pm).

Today marks 10 days since Riveiro oversaw his last game as Pirates coach, beating Golden Arrows 3-0 at Orlando Stadium. The club allowed the Spaniard to leave a month before his contract expired, with assistant coach Mandla Ncikazi assuming the head-coaching role on a caretaker basis.

In his first game in charge, a 1-all draw at home to TS Galaxy last Saturday, Ncikazi made it clear he felt the team’s intensity had dropped. However, they went on to beat SuperSport United 1-0 at Peter Mokaba Stadium three days later. 

“I don’t think that Pirates’ intensity is no longer the same [after Riveiro’s exit]. That’s not true. He [Riveiro] just left two weeks ago. I think they are still the same team, they won their last game against SuperSport away and that means the team is still in good shape,” Ofori said.

AmaZulu last played three weeks ago when they drew 1-all against Polokwane City at home. Ofori fears that their three-week hiatus may have blunted their momentum, albeit he trusts their mentality to help them sail through against the Sea Robbers.