Former Orlando Pirates star Johnny "Black Sunday" has given a detailed analysis of why the team has been struggling to dethrone Mamelodi Sundowns when it comes to the league title
For the second successive season, Bucs have finished as bridesmaids in the league title race.
Johnny "Black Sunday" Masegela, a former striker of the side, believes the problem is more psychological than anything else.
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"The league is more like a marathon, you must have all systems in place to win it," he points out, speaking to KickOff.
"I'm talking about the coach, the players, the administration - everything has to be in place. For you to win the league, everything has to be perfect, including psychologists.
"Pirate is a big team whereby a small player comes in and scores two or three goals, and they start saying: 'This is Monnapule Saleng'. Because of that, he is elevated from the lowest rank to the highest, and because of that, he will think: 'No, I have already achieved'.
"That's where the psychologist will come in and say: 'Hey, it's only one game, and this is about the whole season and your whole career.'
"Maradona was good until he retired," adds Masegela.
He then points out to the exact cause of the team's failure in the league.
"When players come here in the big city and play for Pirates, suddenly they are well-known, and everybody offers to buy them a drink. And that's one aspect that causes teams like Pirates to not be consistent. Their players are derailed.
"Pirates had a very good squad last season, and now they've reinforced it even more. It shows how big this team is. They do have a team to win the league, but the most important thing is to psyche these players [up] since one good performance elevates them from zero to 99%."
Masegela says the mental aspect of Jose Riveiro's charges needs to be worked on if they are to mount a serious challenge in the Betway Premiership this season.
"The psychologist can be anyone who is a good observer and who has a good approach, someone who will act as a parent. Remember you are dealing with a child whose parents are not there, so players must be able to relate to you as a parent.
"That way, they will be able to get the players going."