Former Orlando Pirates winger Tlou Segolela shared his thoughts on why Sipho Mbule has not been playing much lately.
The 28-year-old talented midfielder has had limited appearances in recent weeks for the Buccaneers. There has been speculation that the playmaker may have gotten into trouble, which has led to him being benched.
Segolela suggested that if Mbule is not injured, his exclusion from the Pirates‘ lineup could be a tactical decision.
“I believe it pertains to an internal matter. If he is not injured, it could be related to tactical considerations, where the coach feels the current squad composition is best suited for specific matches. However, missing out on the last two games should serve as a lesson to Mbule,” Segolela told KickOff.
“I really hope his absence is only due to tactical reasons and not anything else. In one interview, the Pirates coach [Abdeslam Ouaddou] mentioned that Mbule was among the players he would have loved to work with before he joined. We are unaware of any recent changes in that regard.”
Mbule has been missing from Pirates squad
Segolela mentioned the fact that the midfielder has not contributed to goals or assists, which might have forced the coach to bench him.
“He is a coach who values energetic and diligent players, and Mbule tends to bring that element, capable of dictating the pace of the game,” he added.
“The key factors are statistics. If you are not providing assists, not scoring, and not winning the ball, it is unlikely you will start or feature regularly.”
Will the Soweto Derby coming up, it remains to be seen if Mbule will feature for Pirates.