Orlando Pirates skipper Innocent Maela says the Sea Robbers have a squad that is good enough to win the DStv Premiership this season.
With one trophy already in the bag this season, in the form of the MTN8, Maela says his side just need to work on their consistency and mental game if they are to challenge seriously for the league title.
Pirates are in seventh place on the league table, nine points behind runaway leaders Mamelodi Sundowns, who have two games in hand.
But that doesn’t concern Maela, whose side saw off Soweto rivals Kaizer Chiefs on the weekend in a hard-fought 1-0 derby win.
With the FIFA international break now bringing an end to domestic action for a two-week period Maela reflected on where his team find themselves and how badly they were affected by a four-game winless run, which they arrested with consecutive victories, over Sekhukhune United and Chiefs.
“It wasn’t an easy period for us,” Maela said. “We had a rough patch but look, even during the preseason we communicated and told ourselves we would win matches and we would go through a stage where we were not doing so well.
“We needed to stay together and support each other and make sure we worked harder than ever to make sure we bounced back.
“We try really hard to be consistent in how we play, because how we play gives us results.
“If we can fix the matter of being inconsistent, then we will definitely get more wins and it will take us closer to challenging for the league and eventually winning the league.
“We know we need to improve, and where to improve, and we are working on it.
“It’s not an overnight process, it takes time, and we urge our people to be patient with us and eventually we will get it right. We have a quality squad that is worthy of winning the league and we promise we will get it right.
“When we start the season, we want to win all the trophies. It comes with the expectations of playing for this brand and the magnitude of the club,” he said.
Pirates will return to action again on 25th November when they travel to Richards Bay FC.
