SuperSport United head coach Andre Arendse SuperSport United assistant coach Gavin Hunt to try to to to Orlando Pirates what they did to Kaizer Chiefs. BackpagePix
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SUPERSPORT United are planning to do to Orlando Pirates this weekend what they did to Kaizer Chiefs a fortnight ago – hit them for four.
It is a highly ambitious goal for a Matsatsantsa outfit that has been blowing hot and cold this season, more so given the quality of opposition standing between them and a semifinal spot in the Nedbank Cup.
After all, unlike the Chiefs that are in a rebuilding process under new coach Nasreddine Nabi, Pirates are a well-oiled machine; a team that has established itself as cup specialists in the past two seasons.
Andre Arendse, who will be in charge given the suspension of head coach Gavin Hunt, is aware of all that and admits they have it all to do at the old Peter Mokaba Stadium this afternoon.
But the former Bafana Bafana goalkeeper was cock-a-hoop as he looked ahead to the match, delighted by what he had seen of the team in training.
According to Arendse, SupeSport replicated the good things they did at the FNB Stadium when they smashed Chiefs 4-1 in a Betway Premiership match and they're looking to do that to Pirates.
“We spoke about it (their win over Chiefs). We asked ourselves 'what did we do well against Chiefs? What worked? What did we do right?' And we started replicating what we did in that match on the training ground and Orlando Pirates better hear this – we walked off the training pitch very confident, and we feel like we can repeat game moments like those. We feel like we’ve got a chance.”
Arendse says calshes such as the one they are facing are all about having self belief.
“When you go into a game like this you have to put your players into confident mode because it needs that kind of approach," said Arendse.
"We know the capabilities and abilities of our players and it is all about putting it together and helping them (implement it). We felt very happy coming off the training ground.”
That confidence aside, there's another reason SuperSport believe they have the beating of a Pirates team keen to win the Nedbank Cup an unprecedented three times in a row.
They are hosting the Buccaneers in Polokwane where they’ve generally had the better of them. And Arendse says it is because they know how to put the energy of the huge crowd to good effect.
“We do have a record that we are very proud of. Our secret is to turn the Pirates fans against them as much as we can,” Arendse chuckles “It is all about using the crowd to our advantage.
Pirates are a club with a massive support anywhere in the country. And the longer you sustain an attacking onslaught from Pirates, the more impatient the crowd gets and that helps you. It is a tactic we hope works.
But this is a game where as a coach you don’t have to inspire the team, it naturally happens. It is a game against a big club; on a big stage; in a cup competition. The players want to do well and they want to walk tall after the match with pride.”