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The 50-year-old has explained why Mosimane’s departure will not affect Masandawana’s ability to fight for the trophy.
Orlando Pirates head coach Josef Zinnbauer believes Mamelodi Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs are favorites to win the 2020/21 PSL title.
Amakhosi and Masandawana were embroiled in a two-horse race for the league title in the second round of the recent 2019/20 season.
In the end, it was the Sundowns who claimed the most coveted trophy in South African club soccer, while the Chiefs settled for second place.
The Zinnbauer Pirates secured a third place in the league standings and the German tactician insists Sundowns remain the team to beat despite losing coach Pitso Mosimane.
“Sundowns won the treble last year, and they have lost the coach, but he earned this move,” Zinnbauer told the media on Wednesday.
“But he, and the squad he had, won three titles last season at Sundowns, it’s normal for them to be the favorites.
“They [Sundowns] They have 40 or 50 players with the highest qualities in their squad, we cannot say now that they are not favorites.
Mosimane, who led the Sundowns to five PSL titles between 2014 and 2020, recently resigned from the Chloorkop giants and joined Egyptian powerhouse Al Ahly.
Zinnbauer also backed the bosses of the Pirates’ biggest rivals, but indicated his team has a chance even though they are behind the two Gauteng giants.
“Kaizer Chiefs finished second. They were in first position for a long, long time, and in the last game they lost that position to finish second, ”he continued.
“Now we can say that both teams will fight for the title. But [Pirates] have a chance. We are behind these clubs.
“But for me, it’s the Sundowns or the Chiefs that are the favorites this season.”
Zinnbauer, who joined the Buccaneers in December 2019, will be under pressure to end the club’s six-year trophy drought in his first full season with the team.
The Pirates will begin their new campaign on Saturday when they face Cape Town in the MTN8 quarterfinal game at Orlando Stadium on Saturday.
The Soweto giants will then travel to KwaZulu-Natal, where they are scheduled to face AmaZulu FC on October 24 in their first league game of the new season.
