MILUTIN “Micho” Sredojevic has described the Nedbank Cup as the biggest, possible chance Orlando Pirates have of silverware this season.
Micho, however, hastened to explain they weren’t giving up on the league.
But the Bucs coach was seemingly being realistic, seeing as his team was far from being a formidable force that can successfully challenge for league honours.
The Buccaneers haven’t had a favourable draw in the Nedbank Cup, being paired with fellow PSL side Ajax Cape Town in the last 32-round.
Although the Urban Warriors are already having relegation concerns, they will certainly look to draw inspiration from a good cup run.
“In the league you can make corrections, but in the cup you have to win all the games to win the main prize,” said Micho.
“And in this regard the Nedbank is the biggest chance we have of winning a trophy, bearing in mind in the league we are behind. It does not mean we are giving up in the league.
“It’s the nature of living in the big clubs, especially when we are playing with the emotions of millions involved. It’s the demand of soul food from the supporters, the demand for trophies. How you’d have played in a cup is not important. Winning is important.”
Despite winning two successive league matches the first time this season, Bucs aren’t yet quite at the level Micho wants them to be.
Scoring six goals in those matches was also key for the Soweto giants, who have missed more scoring chances than most Premiership teams this season.
The Serb reckons the real test of character comes when his men are able to pick themselves up from each poor result, work hard from being “better to being good”.
Said Micho: “Those two victories have injected us with motivation to enter the next matches looking to be better than we have been before. There is a huge room for improvement and that thought, as well as the supporters, is the driving force behind this team. The challenge is to satisfy the appetite of the highly demanding fans.”
Pirates next host Polokwane City in their league fixture at Orlando Stadium this weekend.
