Former Orlando Pirates star Benedict Vilakazi believes the growing competition in the Buccaneers’ number 10 role is giving the team a real edge as the season enters the business end.
Pirates have no shortage of options in the attacking midfield role, with Relebohile Mofokeng, Patrick Maswanganyi and Sipho Mbule all delivering goals and performances. The recent inclusion of Andre De Jong has added another layer, while Oswin Appollis has also been trusted in the role when needed.
Rather than seeing the pool as a problem, Vilakazi feels it has raised standards across the squad. With multiple players contributing goals and assists, Pirates have become harder to predict and more dangerous in the final third.
For Vilakazi, having several players capable of both creating and scoring from the number 10 position gives the technical team flexibility and keeps everyone switched on.
That competition, he argues, is exactly what strong teams need when trophies are on the line.
“Let me tell you this, everyone in that team who can play that position are on their toes,” Vilakazi said on the Omniaudioafrica podcast. “You talk about Mofokeng, he scored two goals in the past two games.
BENEDICT VILAKAZI: THEY ALL SCORE AND CREATE GOALS
“You talk about De Jong, he scored a penalty. And you have Tito [Maswanganyi], he scored with the one-two with [Yanela] Mbuthuma. You talk about Mbule, he scored.
“So all of these four players are all on their toes. So you have very healthy competition and team spirit. Everyone who gets that opportunity wants to grab it with both hands.
“For me, it will always give the team an edge. If you wake up in the morning with the decision to play Tito, you know he will score. You make wake up and play Mofokeng, and he will create and score. De Jong will create and score, Mbule can do that. That is very, very good.
“Especially in this second round phase of the season. There’s the Nedbank Cup, and the league is a marathon. So you need everyone to be at their best, especially during this period of the season.
“It is a very crucial period in terms of who is going to win the league. If you have all your number 10s on song now, it makes life easier for you. Coach Ouadd has just brought something that was missing for a long time. You have very, very good players in that position of number 10. They can create, and they can score,” Vilakazi concluded.
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