Mark Williams, Bafana Bafana legend, May 2019Backpagepix

'Undermining the opposition' - Ex-Kaizer Chiefs striker Williams delves into Orlando Pirates struggles

Former Kaizer Chiefs striker Mark Williams says Orlando Pirates are struggling in the PSL because they tend to underestimate their opponents.

This comes after the Buccaneers drew 0-0 with Stellenbosch FC in a league game that took place at Danie Craven Stadium on Tuesday.

The result saw Pirates remain fourth on the league standings and they are now mathematically out of the race for this season's championship.

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"You give the instructions to the players on the day and you expect them to give at least 80 percent, you want 100 percent but 80 percent is [still] fine," Williams told SuperSport TV.

"Then they end up giving you 60 percent [during the match], this is due to lack of concentration first of all and undermining the opposition."

Bucs, who have won just one of their last six competitive games, were outplayed by Stellies in the first-half, but the hosts could not take their chances. 

"I think that is basically what it is because you look at the difference between the two teams [on the day] you think why didn't Stellenbosch win the game,: he continued. 

"For both teams, they have been up and down like a rollercoaster, Pirates are up and down and the same with Stellies, not scoring goals."

Bucs came into the clash as the favourites having thrashed relegation-threatened Black Leopards 3-0 last week, while a struggling Stellies side had failed to win their previous eight league games. 

"I don't know if it is the same team that played against Black Leopards. There is only one change [to the starting line-up], but you ask yourself if they really pitched up," he said. 

"As a coach, you have a team which had a great result against Leopards and you come here to the Western Cape and they can't say that was a chance, it is free-kick, that was a goalkeeper's goal."

"There were no clear-cut opportunities [for Pirates] and then you ask yourself where is the consistency from this Pirates team."

The former Mamelodi Sundowns marksman believes that the Soweto giants were lucky to collect a point against Stellies, who remained 12th on the league standings. 

"Stellenbosch should have taken the three points and took themselves further away from the relegation zone because they had the opportunities," he said. 

"Then you look at Pirates and you say wow with the team that they have, that is a little bit disappointing for the coach [Josef Zinnbauer], they are lucky to come away with the point."

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