With Jose Riveiro at the helm, Orlando Pirates have risen to the top of South African football. Thanks to their well-rounded and dynamic roster, the Buccaneers have made it to the Nedbank Cup final and are now in second place in the PSL. On the other hand, Kaizer Chiefs are having a tough time of it and are now sitting in ninth place in the league.
With the two teams' fortunes so drastically different, it's hard to imagine many Chiefs players making the Pirates' starting lineup. Sipho Chaine of the Pirates has been reliable in goal this season, whilst Bruce Bvuma, Brandon Peterson, and Fiacre Ntwari of the Chiefs have been erratic. Chiefs defenders had little space to manoeuvre against the powerful defensive tandem of Tapelo Xoki and Nkosinathi Sibisi.
Consistency is still crucial, but Rushwin Dortley might make a claim thanks to his Bafana Bafana experience. The Pirates' midfield combination of Yusuf Maart, Thalenthe Mbatha, and Patrick Maswanganyi has been absolutely sensational. Njabulo Blom has potential when healthy, but he would have to fight off strong competition to get a starting spot. Riveiro may have trouble making starting lineup decisions when considering the inventiveness and flare of Gaston Sirino and Mdu Shabalala. Pirates have an abundance of weaponry up front.
On offense, you can rely on Relebohile Mofokeng, Mohau Nkota, Monnapule Saleng (when he's playing well), and Tshegofatso Mabaso. But none of the present-day Kaizer Chiefs forwards could confidently take their spots in the Pirates' starting lineup. Given the Pirates' superior depth and structure, it's certain that Jose Riveiro would have a hard time selecting a starting eleven from Kaizer Chiefs. In order to be competitive with their Soweto rivals again, Chiefs will need to make a lot of improvements.
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