Julio
Leal won 2008/2009 Nedbank Cup with Moroka Swallows but swallows was the fourth
lowest scorer in the league with 32 goals. Julio Leal played good exciting
carpet football at Swallows but his tactics and techniques produced least
number of goals and was fired despite good football. AmaZulu under Julio Leal
was the lowest scorer in the Premier Soccer League with 22 goals in 2006/2007
season whilst finished second from the bottom. However, AmaZulu escaped the
PSL’s axe after winning relegation Playoff. Now the same trend of scoring least
number of goals is replicated at Orlando Pirates under his guidance. After 10
games Pirates is the third lowest scorer with 9 goals, which is a bad striking
rate by Pirates standard but conversely, Pirates has the second best defensive
record after conceding 7 goals which justified that indeed Pirates defend like
the warriors but the downfall for the team is inability to score goals.
When
Julio Cesar Leal Junior joined Pirates, he won Orlando Pirates supporters’
hearts through his tactical wisdom. In his own words “Pirates will defend like
the warriors and attack like an entertainers. Wow what an inspirational
assertion by a coach. Indeed the team started like a house in fire with 1
pre-season trophy and 1 official trophy but now the table has turned for
Pirates as slowly but surely the Bhakaniya’s ship under the guidance of Captain
Julio Leal is sinking.
The
tactics and techniques of Leal are not appropriately for a team of Pirates
caliber. His average and predictable tactical methodology of playing from
inside instead of playing from the wings is turning Pirates into a mediocre
team by compromising sufficient service delivery upfront. Pirates always
dominated ball possession but they can’t translate such dominance into goals.
This
Leal system has already failed Pirates but he is still sticking to it. Been the
defending PSL champion doesn’t mean that Leal should defend too deep by playing
one striker upfront. Leal should know that the best form of defence is to
attack. One of the disappointed Pirates supporter Luvuyo said that “It is
certainly not Mvela League and neither is the PSL title’’ Now the question is
where the hell is Leal leading our Pirates to.
Is it to early to press a panic button or Pirates will weather the storm
and bounce back under Julio Leal… Time will tell!
Under
Leal the reigning PSL champions have been far from impressive, in 10 matches,
Pirates have lost three matches in the League, which is one lost short to the same
number of the game they lost when they won it last season, and are not looking
like a team that will defend their title. It’s not raining but pouring at
Orlando Pirates. The ship is sinking.
The
coach has a galaxy of quality players but his team selection leaves a lot to be
desire. Chances of defending championship are very slim if the performance
doesn’t improve. Julio Leal should stop implementing tactical system similar to
Spanish La Liga Barcelona of players playing from inside and always cut the
field from the wings to create more goalscorinng opportunities. Barcelona
hardly plays from the wings and players are mastering playing from within
system very well because they are ball players with array of skills coupled
with best composure in front of goals.
In
conclusion for the past 8 years, Julio Leal hasn’t coach a team for more than 1
season. He is a seasonal coach with a cup winning pedigree but lacks league
winning reputation. I wonder, what was the criteria’s Dr. Irvin Khoza used to
appoint Julio Leal as his record for the past 8 years is not impressive. He is from
Brazil, the home of quality players with array of breath taking and
eye-pleasing skills but the country hasn’t produce quality coach.
The
Brazilians coaches are only good coaching at their domestic league whilst
struggled outside home. The Brazilians’ coaches have mastered the science of
football but can translate that science into field of play. It is too early to
press a panic button but Is Julio Leal a right coach to lead Pirates to the
envisaged destination of defending a League title and wins African
Championship? Time will tell…
+ comments + 2 comments
What are you good at? Tearing down somebody you back staber. Leal is coach and will do as he sees fit. He is not accountable to you. Your mad cow mouth stinks andi this not the place for you. Who cares what you think, so we must change things to make you happy. Go buy own team and do as you wish. This team will do better when you are gone. We are not playing zombies. We can bit them all the time, they will soon realise how to keep us away. We have a league with competitive teams. We have referees and match officials making fair decisions. If we whom every game then these teams will not have sponsors.
Truth is you are full of poop, wash your poop hole it stinks.
Blanket kombers
Dear Blanket Kombers
Let me unequivocal without an equivocation to retaliate to your ill-informed, in-sensitive and unmindful comments. Am not gonna take your utterances very kindly. There are few things that faze me in life. One of the behaviours that really get to me is that of people who should know better, acting in ways that suggest they are oblivious to the consequences of their actions or utterances,
"I am however compelled to respond publicly, not to correct your reckless utterance you made which have no bearing in truth, but to quell the re-emergence of a practice that might, if left to go unchallenged, take me back to the gutter where in a state of unconsciousness, people would erode the progress and reverse my well written article based on the empirical evidence.
“I view your disparaging and irritating coupled with insults comments as nothing else but a direct attack on my intelligence. Your intention is malicious and is to undermine my authority as a writer of this column. I would never bemoan your counter utterances. I am not impressed by your thinking capacity, Your below my level by millions miles. Instead of challenging this article based on substantiate and pragmatic facts, you launched a scathing attack on you. Learn to play a ball than a man. Were u paid for your vitriol conspiracy towards me? Be warned that i won all the battles that i fought but will never fight against mediocre and average dude like you.
Your counter comments are neither incisive but itchy. I will never attached value and significant to your mediocre insults. Your comments are not contestable but vague. You’re not objective in approach whilst you’re too average and incompetence with empty brain.
Diskioff should respect viewers’ intelligence by getting u out of the blog. You’re one dimensional but who to blame except your mother who gave u empty brain. Ur not in my level that I will challenge. I stood head and shoulder above you. Am the special one and rare breed.
You still gonna read more from me if you care. I used brain to think without involving any anger. This column is just the beginning and to your info, the column is well receive by those who understand soccer. I do it for the love of the game Mr empty brain. There is no conceivable way that would have made these statements with the support of the founder of DiskiOff Prof Khumalo butyour entitled to ur own rotten opinion. But next time play the ball than a man.
Owen Mashudu Mundalamo