Having scored nine goals so far in the season, Orlando Pirates head coach Jose Riveiro has explained how the club has changed to make it possible for hitman Zakhele Lepasa to find the back of the net on a regular basis.
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Statistically, Lepasa is having the best season of his career.
With nine strikes to his name already, the 26-year-old is now just one goal short of reaching double figures for the first time since bursting onto the scene in 2019.
But how did a man, who was loaned out in the second half of the 2022/23 season manage to become Pirates' main source of goals in this campaign?
Speaking to the media after Lepasa netted yet another goal against Cape Town City, Pirates coach Riveiro revealed how the team's style of play this season has seen the lanky forward benefit greatly.
"We need to make sure that our forwards, the number nines, 10s and the ones who are coming from the second line have chances. So we try to generate as many chances as possible and I think we used to do it
"That's our obsession, to spend as much time as possible in the half of the opponent. It was tough to do it because of how Cape Town were pressing. If we are capable of having the team playing close for long periods, with the quality that we have upfront, it's gonna work for us and it's what is happening. That is why the forwards are scoring this season, that is why the goals are more spread within the group, even though Zakes is in a very good moment of form and he's in the moment where the striker really needs confidence, whether it is a rebound or long range, or a head.
"You can see he's in a good space. We just have to try and continue, whoever is playing whether it is Zakes, the forwards can have those situations and luckily for them, you see the quality of players that are playing behind them, I think they will have a lot of fun," he said.
Pirates will be hoping to continue their rich goal scoring form in the MTN8 Cup this weekend, as they take on Stellenbosch.
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