Orlando Pirates coach Josef Zinnbauer has revealed that he will be happy with a top three Absa Premiership finish should that be offered to him.
He was speaking in the wake of the Buccaneers’ latest slip-up in the title race, when they were held to a goalless draw by Lamontville Golden Arrows in Clermont on Saturday.
Had they won the game, they would have closed the gap on leaders Kaizer Chiefs to six points after Amakhosi suffered a shock home defeat to AmaZulu.
In the audio below, German Zinnbauer says that all things considered, a top-three finish would represent success:
Zinnbauer took over at Pirates in December when he replaced the under-performing interim coach Rhulani Mokwena, who had seen the team stumble along during the first part of the season to sit sixth with 17 points from 13 games.
The 49-year-old then went on to win seven out of his first eight matches to raise their hopes of the premiership title. In fact, had Pirates won the derby last weekend and then beaten Arrows, they would have been level with Chiefs.
Nonetheless, Zinnbauer admits he faces a tricky challenge in the closing weeks of the campaign as he also plans for next season.
Pirates still have a mathematical chance of winning the title, but they cannot afford to drop many more points from the last 21 available to them.
They also need Chiefs, SuperSport United, Bidvest Wits and Mamelodi Sundowns to stumble in the weeks ahead.
They at least can cause the Brazilians to stutter because they play them next week in a crunch encounter in Tshwane.
Zinnbauer says this game is all they are focusing on for now, adding that planning beyond that will take place after the match. – Report by Thahir Asmal
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