Celine Abrahams: Unfortunately, Diego, penalties have once again come to haunt Orlando Pirates, this time in the Nedbank Cup Last 32 against Black Leopards. How is the mood in camp?
Augustine Mulenga: The mood is just normal, I would say, because we take each game as it comes, so now we have to focus on the next game, which is the CAF (Champions League) encounter against Esperance. We want to win this game because it is important for us and we are playing at home.
CA: Does it not leave a bitter taste in your mouths knowing that you have not been able to secure any domestic cup this season so far?
AM: It is disappointing, but it is something we can’t change. There are things that the team could have done differently but, ja, we have to keep focused on what we still can fight for, which is the league and the Champions League. The coaches have said to us that we must focus on the upcoming game and that is what we will do. We are hurt and sorry to our supporters for not being able to go far in this competition, but we will do our best to make them smile again.
CA: Moving on, you have surely repaid the faith that the Bucs technical team has shown in you by scoring three goals and making seven assists all in 24 appearances so far in 2018/19. Impressive…
AM: I can say that everything is fine. I’m pushing, working hard at training and in every game. I think, for now, things have been working out, but there is still so much more that I need to work on. For example, in the past few games, I haven’t scored and that is something I want to change. I know that, with time, the things I want to happen will happen. I had a bit of a knock after our league game against Baroka FC, but it wasn’t anything too serious. I am okay and ready to fight on the field because, as a team, we want to achieve our goals and I want to be a big part of our success.
CA: Considering how well you’ve done; some may forget that you have been with the Buccaneers for only a year. What’s your secret?
AM: The coaches… they know my qualities; you see? They know what I can do and they have worked with me to help me assist not only myself but my teammates too. They talk to me all the time. They tell me that if I don’t score, at least I must create for my teammates. We are all going in the same direction and that is why it makes it easier for any player to come here and do well. But you must want to learn and work hard. Ja, it is all about us helping each other to become better players for the club. Our coaches keep encouraging us. Before I came to South Africa, I was playing competitive football in Zambia, playing for my national team and my club (Zanaco FC), where we played continental football, so I would say that I was used to playing at a level where my coaches wanted to get the best out of me and pushed me.
CA: We see.
AM: When I came here, it was a new place, new teammates and new things that I had to learn. It does come with pressure when you go to a new country to play, but you have to be calm and play the game. (Justin) Shonga is the one who helped me to adapt quickly because he had been here and he knew more than I did about the club, the opponents and life (in general) here. He used to tell me what to do most of the time and it helped me a lot because I got comfortable and I started to show
everyone what I could do. Coach Micho (Milutin Sredojevic) has been coaching in Africa for about 15 years and coach Rhulani (Mokwena) had been with (Mamelodi) Sundowns for six or seven years and he knows how to handle players, and these guys can get the best out of any player.
CA: We understand that growing up you were a big Bucs fan. It must have been a dream come true to join the club then.
AM: I would say yes because when Pirates approached me to say they wanted my services (and) for me to accept to come this side, it meant that I was ready for another challenge in my career. I came here because I want to do well and for this club that a lot of people love and respect. What I can say is that since I came here, this team has been there for me (and helped me) to become a better player.
CA: Pirates are currently placed second on the log standings, two points behind leaders Bidvest Wits and sitting pretty in the group stages of the CAF Champions League.
AM: We have set our goals and, as a team, we want to achieve them. The league is tough and you can see that from the games played and the points difference. Every game that we face is like a cup final – teams throw punches at us and we throw punches at them. Yes, we are second, but there is still a long way to go. Sundowns are third and they have games in hand, but we are just looking at ourselves and the games we have to play. Yes, they can have games in hand and Wits can be ahead of us, but we want to improve on our own games so that we can see where we are going to be at the end of this season.
CA: But, surely, you would want to keep a close eye on your competitors…
AM: Yes, we are going to watch their games and see their results, but we are focused on improving ourselves. We can’t worry too much about the other teams and how well they are doing because we want to do well for ourselves and our supporters.
CA: To win the league, you’d have to do better than you did against Baroka in your last league encounter, where you dropped two points and missed out on a chance to close the gap even further on Wits.
AM: Ah, the Baroka game…Those guys, they scored and then they started to frustrate us and started to sit back. They didn’t play an open game and that was not nice because supporters come to watch a game that is entertaining. After every few minutes, one of their players would fall down and waste time. If we had won that game, we would be talking a different story now, but this is something that we are going to have to get used to because more teams are going to come at us with that strategy to frustrate us. They knew what they wanted to do in that game. Even their coach (Wedson Nyirenda) said in his interview that Pirates are playing good football, so they knew that if they got one goal, then all they were going to do was defend. Everyone knows how dangerous our attack is and they are going to do everything to upset us, but we will find a way to work around it. We have very good coaches and they can help us break any team down. This is part of the game – we win some, we lose some and we draw some. We just have to focus on our next game and make sure that we do well.
CA: The next game is against the Esperance in Champions League, where you have collected four points from two group stage games.
AM: We want to do well and, like everyone has been saying, a big team like Pirates needs to be in competitions like this. We have this chance and we can do it because we have the players, a lot of players, which is good because the coaches have more to choose from and the competition between us is good. It’s a nice competition for us to be in because we get to represent not only the badge but South African football as a whole. People in Africa need to recognise Pirates again and that is our aim. It means a lot and it is a motivation for us because we want to make history for this badge that we play for.
CA: African inter-club football is a jungle though, as you are aware.
AM: That is something we can’t change, but it is something we have to manage. We all know that continental football needs you to be a very strong player because there they play with your emotions. We also need to make sure that when we play away, we don’t concede goals, but it’s not easy. We just have to do what we can and, if you look at the way we play, we can go far in this tournament. You can’t doubt our abilities because we have quality players and we work very hard. We want to show the rest of Africa that we are capable of doing anything.
CA: It would be unjust of us to wrap up this interview without touching on the fact that the technical team has been bolstered with the addition of a former head coach in Fadlu Davids. Isn’t this a case of “too many cooks spoil the broth”?
AM: I think it is good for us to have coaches we can all learn from. I think for us to all grow and for the quality in the team to be high, it is good to have these coaches who have experience and can manage us. I don’t think it is a bad idea. So far, it is working out for us and we are enjoying learning as much as we can. We welcomed our new coach and we are looking forward to working with him, like we have been working with both coach Micho and Rhulani.
CA: Well, in that case, all the best, Diego.
AM: Thanks very much.
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