A former teammate of new Orlando Pirates striker Ndumiso Mabena has advised the club’s coach Jose Riveiro on how to play the attacker.
Pirates announced the return of Mabena earlier this month on a one and a half season deal along with speedster Craig Martin, who joins the Buccaneers from Cape Town City.
Mabena returning to Pirates might be what the club needs this season to improve their scoring abilities.
Before the enforced 2022 FIFA World Cup break, Pirates only managed to score nine goals in 13 games in the DStv Premiership.
And Aviwe Nyamende, who got to share the same dressing room with Mabena at Bloemfontein Celtic has shared some advice on how Pirates coach Riveiro can get the best out of Mabena and get him firing in front of goals.
NYAMENDE’S ADVICE FOR COACH JOSE RIVEIRO
“Maybe I don’t know his [Riveiro’s] game plans and tactics, how he approaches the game. But they wouldn’t have signed Mabena if he wasn’t going to be in their plans,” Nyamende told FARPost.
“I think if they give him [Mabena] a free role as a number 10, we will see a lot of combination play with the likes of [Ndabayithethwa Phillip] Ndlondlo and other attacking midfielders that are good going forward.
“So, we will see a different Pirates team in terms of attack. If he could get a free role as a number 10, give him a free role as a number 10, you will see the best of him,” added the defender, Nyamende.
NYAMENDE MAKES REFERENCE TO NDUMISO MABENA’S ROLE AT CELTIC
Nyamende also referred to his playing days at Celtic with Mabena and how the 35-year-old influenced the Celtic attack going forward, playing in the “free role”.
“Even if you could see at Celtic, we would play Mabena sometimes like a false striker; he would just drop deep and come start the play,” he explained.
“And we would give a lot of problems to the opponents because they wouldn’t actually know how to mark him because he wasn’t the top striker that was playing up top.
“He was coming short; he was coming deep to start the combination, start playing, to get the team tick.
“And there were the likes of Victor Letsoalo, players; a dangerous striker coaches wouldn’t have maybe plans against.
“As time goes on, they notice that, oh, there are other good players; that’s what Mabena does.
“He likes to bring other players into the game, not just him; he is a team player as well.”
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