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Cape Town - Former Orlando Pirates captain Lucky Legkwathi has praised the impact of head coach Milutin 'Micho' Sredojevic and is confident Bucs can win the league.
With five league matches to play this term, the Buccaneers find themselves in with a shot at challenging Mamelodi Sundowns for the title, although the Tshwane team are currently four points ahead.
The next few weeks will show if Pirates can go all the way and claim their first league title in six years.
Regardless though of how the season ends, Legkwathi is highly impressed by what Sredojevic has achieved in less than a year since he returned to the club after a previous spell more than a decade back.
"They are playing extremely well at the moment and credit must go to the management for assembling a good squad and getting Micho back to the club," former Bucs central defender Legkwathi told the TimesLIVE website.
"The combination of Micho and Rhulani (Mokwena) has turned Pirates into that team of Kosta Papic.
"They have this energy which I don't know where they get from. If they focus on their games and not worry too much about what Mamelodi Sundowns are doing‚ then they will definitely win the league."
Legkwathi worked under Sredojevic himself and is not surprised by the spirit the Serbian coach has fostered in the Pirates camp.
"Having a coach like Micho has made a huge difference‚" Legkwathi stated. "I know him very well because he coached me the last time he was at the club.
"He always wants to get the best out of every player. He treats all his players the same and if you are on form you will play.
"They are energetic and they work hard and for each other. (In the past) there were players who told themselves that they own places in the team and were sitting in a comfort zone.
"Now‚ no one is guaranteed a place in the starting line-up. He must be credited because he has managed to change the mind-set of the players‚ which was somehow missing before he arrived. He always selects the team from training," Legkwathi concluded.
Bucs are next up against SuperSport United at the Mbombela Stadium on Wednesday and they could cut the gap on Sundowns to just a single point.
Kick-off is at 19:30.
