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Both players were at their best last season under new manager Josef Zinnbauer and will look to improve in the 2020/21 campaign.
Vincent Pule and Thembinkosi Lorch came off the bench to good effect in the Orlando Pirates’ 1-1 draw with AmaZulu at Kings Park Stadium on Saturday night.
Ultimately, they couldn’t help the Sea Robbers claim all three points, but there were some positive signs from the two attacking midfielders.
Sometimes a little wake-up call, a time out of the starting lineup, can inspire players to improve their game and this may be the case with the pair, Lorch in particular.
While Pule started the previous match against Cape Town City, a 1-0 win at MTN8, Lorch’s appearance against AmaZulu was the first of the season for Bucs.
He replaced Siphesihle Ndlovu after the break, with Pule replacing Deon Hotto at the same point in the match.
Lorch’s form had failed last season following the arrival of head coach Josef Zinnbauer and he only managed three goals in all competitions.
That contrasts sharply with the 2018/2019 campaign, when the former Maluti FET College player scored 15 goals in all competitions with Milutin ‘Micho’ Sredojevic and appeared regularly for the national team.
Pule’s production also fell under Zinnbauer last season, as he scored just three league goals compared to the previous season when he scored eight in the Premiership.
So far in the Pirates’ two games this season, against City and AmaZulu, they haven’t been overly impressed and there seems to be a lack of creativity.
While it is too early in the campaign to be judgmental, both players certainly brought another dimension to the match against AmaZulu, even if they couldn’t help inspire victory.
As this featured video pack shows, Lorch and Pule offered a lot of energy and initiative and managed to get the team vibrating to some degree.
His performances are sure to give Zinnbauer and his coaching staff something to think about, and if these two fan favorites can regain top form, it should significantly increase the Bucs’ chances of winning some sort of trophy this season.
It will be interesting to see if any of them start in the Buccaneers’ next game, against Stellenbosch FC at Orlando Stadium on Wednesday night.
They could also prove key for the Pirates in their meeting with Kaizer Chiefs in the MTN8 two-legged semifinals.
