Why Broos is not worried about Zakhele Lepasa’s current form at Pirates
Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has explained why he’s not worried about Zakhele Lepasa’s recent form at club level with Orlando Pirates.
At the beginning of the 2023/24 PSL season, Lepasa started like a house on fire banging goals in almost every match. The former TS Galaxy striker scored 10 goals in 11 matches in all competitions.
His form has since dropped as Lepasa’s last goal was at the beginning of September against Stellenbosch FC in the MTN8 semifinal before he started firing blanks. He has failed to find the back of the net in three successive games.
Despite the 26-year-old’s lack of goals, Broos once again kept his faith in Lepasa naming him in his final 23-man squad. The national team will face Eswatini and Ivory Coast in friendly matches on 13 and 17 October respectively.
HUGO BROOS HAS MANY OPTIONS IN ATTACK
The Belgian mentor says he’s not worried by Lepasa’s poor form in front of goal as they have other strikers who can come in and do the job for the national team. What Lepasa is lacking is confidence.
“I’m not worried about him. We have three good strikers, three different profiles with [Lyle] Foster, with [Lebo] Mothiba, and [Bongokuhle] Hlongwane. I’m very happy about that,” said Broos.
“I said it a long time before, Lepasa is a very good striker. He just needs confidence.
“But like any other player, sometimes he couldn’t go like he was doing because he should be scoring goals.”
ZAKHELE LEPASA’S STRUGGLES MAY BE BECAUSE ORLANDO PIRATES IS NOT PERFORMING WELL
Broos also highlighted that Lepasa’s lack of goals in recent matches may be because of Orlando Pirates’ poor form.
In four matches, the Sea Robbers have suffered three defeats and registered one victory. The 1-0 victory didn’t make any impact as they went on to lose 5-4 to Jwaneng Galaxy on penalties in the CAF Champions League. The match had ended 1-1 on aggregate.
“One moment you have a less moment, maybe that’s what is happening now with Lepasa. Maybe it’s because the performances of the team are not so good at the moment,” Broos added.
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