Ex-skipper Lucky Lekgwathi likeness Pirates coaches to treble-winners

Krol was with the Buccaneers until 2011 and became the first coach in the Premier Soccer League era to win a treble. Speaking to SABC Sport, Lekgwathi says Ncikazi's contribution cannot be underestimated because European coaches require that ear in local football. 

"Mandla is South African and he knows all these players. It happened with us when Ruud Krol was assisted by Craig Rosslee. Craig knows these players. He started with Ian Palmer and so for Krol to know a player because of Ian. To [a player] who must tell him? It's the assistant coach,” said Lekgwathi. 

“I remember with me, Krol didn't know me after I got injured, he was looking at me like: 'Ahh, this player?'. Then Ian Palmer spoke to the guy and told him I was a leader. After just one day, he called me, and said 'I was talking to the [assistant] coach, today you're going to play'. And I played", he beamed. 

The ex-skipper captain says the partnership between Ncikazi and Riveiro is the reason why Pirates is performing well on the field.

“You can’t win the trophy if the coaches are not united, are not friends or not like a family. There’s nowhere where I saw a bad comment when people are talking about the two of them.

“It shows that they work like brothers and it’s good to have a local coach when you have a European coach. So, that the local can help when it comes to a weak and strong point of a player.”

Pirates won the MTN8 and the Nedbank Cup last season and the former captain says they are going to continue being victorious because of their squad depth.

"Credit must go to the chairman [Irvin Khoza] for assembling a good squad again. After winning a double he didn't say 'You know what, I have a team and won two trophies'. No, he went and signed other players. And I think they are depth to the team. You look at players like [Patrick]Maswanganyi and [Zakhele] Lepasa came back to the team." 

As previously reported by SABC Sport, Pirates were unwilling to loan Lepasa to Swedish club Helsingborgs IF, managed by former Kaizer Chiefs coach Stuart Baxter. Lekgwathi believes loaning Lepasa out to SuperSport United improved his game.