Orlando Pirates defender Patrick Phungwayo has praised Kjell Jonevret for the team's much-improved organisational structure.
The Buccaneers have conceded six goals in a competitive match twice this season. A 6-1 defeat to SuperSport United last November was followed by a 6-0 loss to Mamelodi Sundowns two months ago.
Swedish tactician Jonevret has since been appointed and he has been in charge of eight matches - winning three, drawing four and narrowly losing one to Free State Stars.
“Now‚ if you look at our system and the way we play‚ it’s more about stability and being a unit‚” Phungwayo said on The Sowetan.
“And I think that’s what the coach wants to implement. It’s like‚ ‘Guys‚ once you are a unit no team can score‚ or it’s not going to be easy for them’.
Next Match
“When we lost six‚ I don’t think we were that compact as a team. When we lost against SuperSport you could say it was a very different method that we used," he continued.
“But now I feel like we are fine with what the coach is implementing. And we’re trying to implement it now so that next season it’s going to be easy when we start playing.
“So‚ ja‚ we’re having fun. We’ve seen the hard side‚ of course‚ of the coach. Like anybody who comes with being fun‚ he wants you to appreciate it being fun," Phungwayo indicated.
“And I think we owe it to him‚ too‚ to deliver. The coach is not a person who is going to want to put us under pressure.
"But of course‚ as players we know what it means to play for Orlando Pirates‚ so we want to win games," he added.
“The new coach is a very interesting person‚ very calm‚ he’s a good motivator. And as you can see the team is coming together OK so far.
"Since he came in we’ve only lost one game‚ and I think it’s getting there. And of course we’ve reached the next round of the Nedbank‚ so we want to end on a high," Phungwayo stressed.
“We’re excited about it. Because we’ve promised ourselves that we need to finish in the top eight. Pirates is a big team. We cannot be out of the top eight. We can’t afford that," he concluded.