Aggression does job for Pirates

Johannesburg - Orlando Pirates striker Lennox Bacela has credited an aggressive style of play for his side's positive results in the African Champions League.

Bacela said teams in the African competition tend to go all out to try and beat the Buccaneers, which is in stark contrast with the defensive approach local sides apply in the Premier Soccer League (PSL).

“There's a big difference between champions league and the PSL,” Bacela said on Tuesday when his team returned to South Africa after going down to Egyptian side Zamalek 2-1 on Sunday.

Pirates still top Group A on seven points with two games remaining and their destiny firmly in their own hands.

“We feel, if teams in our league would play like other teams in the champions league against us, people would never complain about goals.

“When you come to the domestic league, the so-called smaller teams come to sit back and wait for you. Al Ahly is not going to sit back and wait for Pirates to do something. If we were to have the same attitude in our league, I think it would be a different case.”

While his team came away from the Zamalek clash empty-handed, Bacela said the searing heat had a lot to do with their - at times - lethargic play.

“It was difficult to play in those conditions.

“At the half-time break every player was just pouring with sweat. That was something new for everyone.

“We would liked to have played the game at night but they didn't have a stadium where you could play a night game. But we can't complain about things we can't control.”

Heading towards their next match against Congolese side AC Leopards, Bacela was confident his opponents would pose little problems for the Soweto side.

“The two teams we played in Egypt are far better than Congo in terms of quality.

“If you look at the three games against the Egyptian teams, we've definitely been on top in terms of our performance. We must carry on the way we've been playing against AC Leopards.”

The sides met in July at Orlando Stadium when the game ended in a goalless draw. A lot has changed since then, Bacela said.

“When we played them first at home, it was the first game in the champions league after a break.

“Now we've got a lot of games under our belt and everyone is confident.

“We were watching them on Saturday and we know exactly where their weaknesses are. We can go there and win.”