Regarded as the fathers of South African football, Orlando Pirates have captured the attention of fans and pundits alike, seemingly hitting their stride at the perfect juncture of the season.
With the campaign drawing to a close, Pirates find themselves locked in a battle for second place, with Mamelodi Sundowns already confirmed as champions for an unprecedented seventh consecutive time.
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Adding to the excitement, on June 1st, the Buccaneers will have the opportunity to defend the Nedbank Cup when they face Sundowns in the final in Nelspruit.
On the back of a six-match winning streak across all competitions, the Sea Robbers are undeniably the team to beat at the moment, having netted an impressive amount of goals in just a few matches. While much praise has been directed towards Spanish-born coach Jose Riveiro, it's also worth noting the resurgence of the attacking unit, which has been pivotal in converting chances. Central defender Tapelo Xoki credits the team's goal-scoring prowess for boosting the confidence throughout the squad, particularly among the defensive ranks.
"I think it boils down the form of the guys up front in terms of goals scored, goals that we are scoring and we are taking the chances that come which gives a lot of confidence to whatever we are doing and it makes the job easier for most of the guys in terms of the confidence," Xoki told GameOn on Radio 2000.
Despite the recent success, Xoki emphasizes the importance of remaining defensively solid, especially in tighter matches where digging deep is required.
"We have to now defend well, we are playing what we were playing but the ball is falling for us and we know that for some games it's not going to be the case like the game against AmaZulu at home which we had to dig deep and got a goal very late in the game," Xoki said.
Reflecting on the camaraderie within the squad, Xoki speaks warmly of Bienvenu Eva Nga, who recently departed to rejoin Chippa United after a stint with Pirates. Despite the move and facing Chippa last week, Eva Nga remains a cherished figure among the team.
"He is still our brother; he is still our brother. He recently left us, it's not even four months him being at Chippa so he's still our brother because he was with us for a year-and-a-half and we won trophies with him and we shared a lot with him.
"So, we always embrace our own. It's not about now he is not playing with us, he's not our enemy. It's not the case, it's a guy we love, he was good for us in the change-room. He is a very bubbly figure also, so ja, no bad blood there," Xoki said.
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