Orlando Pirates have been touted as the best team with potential to challenge Mamelodi Sundowns for the Betway Premiership title. So, could a Bafana Bafana dynamic hint at a shift in power in the PSL?
Sundowns have won the league title for the past seven seasons and probably for the first time in several campaigns, there is belief, among the neutrals, that their stranglehold of total dominance could be slowing down.
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That assertion has been informed by the slow start to the season, failing to score a single goal in regulation time in three consecutive matches and losing two straight games against Stellenbosch FC in the MTN8 semi-finals.
The Tshwane giants are undergoing their own structural changes, which has brought a shock to the system, as new coach Manqoba Mngqithi has introduced a new game model, different not only to previous coach Rulani Mokwena's methods but to any other previous coach since the Pitso Mosimane era began in 2012.
Sundowns' struggles could also have a correlation with Bafana Bafana's performances, as the majority of the players were previously selected from the same Masandawana squad.
Recently, in a 2-2 draw against Uganda, in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier, with Bafana 2-1 down, the introduction of Pirates dup Relebohile Mofokeng and Thalente Mbatha seemed to have turned the game around and inspired Hugo Broos' charges to a point after two goalkeeping errors by Veli Mothwa.
Mofokeng's guile and youthful exuberance on the ball was able to unlock a static Cranes defence, where South Africa started to create plenty of chances.
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Although Sundowns utility player Aubrey Modiba played a big role in opening up the Uganda defence on an overlap, before playing a square pass, Mbatha's goal was well executed.
The same happened against South Sudan on Tuesday, when the duo was introduced with the game at 2-2. Mbatha went on to score the winner in a similar fashion to the goal against Uganda, in the dying seconds of the match, while Mofokeng's impact was also visible.
Therefore, he impact of Pirates players off the bench could signify that the Buccaneers could finally have key and quality players to rise up to the top in the Premiership and offer a strong challenge, especially if Masandawana continue not to live up to expectations.
The Soweto giants successfully defended two cups last season, the MTN8 and the Nedbank Cup, after beating Masandawana in both finals.