Pirates legend delivers verdict on Mbuthuma vs Radiopane debate
The debate over who should lead the Orlando Pirates attack has intensified after Boitumelo Radiopane grabbed his opportunity against Sekhukhune United.
With Yanela Mbuthuma rested, Radiopane started up front and played a key role in Pirates’ 2-0 Betway Premiership victory.
The young striker scored the opening goal before setting up Oswin Appollis for the second.
Mbuthuma, meanwhile, has been the preferred striker for coach Abdeslam Ouaddou since the start of the season but is still searching for his first goal.
Pirates legend Benedict “Tso” Vilakazi has now weighed in on the comparison between the two forwards.
Speaking on iDiski TV, Vilakazi believes Radiopane showed exactly what Pirates need from a striker.
“Radiopane is what we are looking for in a striker,” said Vilakazi, known as Tso during his playing days.
Vilakazi acknowledged that strikers have other responsibilities but insisted their primary job remains scoring.
“You may do other things – provide support when out of possession, make runs to take away the defenders and create space for other attackers. That’s all good.
“But remember what your primary job is,” added Vilakazi. “That is why when I watch games sometimes I ask myself, ‘But your primary job is to score, are you scoring?’”
He believes the answer to that question is crucial: “If the answer is no, then we need to find somebody else who will do that.”
Vilakazi was particularly impressed by the way Radiopane scored his goal despite not getting the perfect first touch.
“You look at the first goal. He made a run; yes, he had a bad first touch,” he explained.
“But one thing that I liked in that action is that he knew where the goalposts are.
“Because when he didn’t have a good touch, he still managed to take that shot.”
For Vilakazi, that is the instinct that separates a natural striker from the rest.
“That is an instinct of a striker,” he added. “To say, I know where the goalposts are, and I will take the shot. This is what we ask.
“Yes, do the other things, but we want to see the instinct. Can you smell the goal?”
He then compared Radiopane’s goal-scoring instinct with Mbuthuma’s struggles in front of goal.
“That boy for me, taking the shot was a signal of being a good striker. He knew where the goalposts are, and said, ‘I will take a shot and see what happens’.”
Vilakazi believes Mbuthuma has struggled to produce the same ruthlessness in front of goal.
“This is one thing that Mbuthuma could not do,” added Vilakazi. “Sometimes Mbuthuma would find himself in a position that is not even awkward, but would still miss the target.”
He challenged supporters to compare the chances missed by Mbuthuma with Radiopane’s finish against Sekhukhune.
“Just imagine now, if all those chances that Mbuthuma missed to the goal that Radiopane has scored. You will see something.”
Vilakazi was also impressed by Radiopane’s decision-making for Pirates’ second goal.
“That shows maturity,” he said. He explained that young strikers are taught to assess their options before making a decision.
“When you find yourself in certain situations of angles, you look up. If there is no one, you need to make a decision.”
And Radiopane did exactly that before setting up Appollis: “When Radiopane had the ball, he looked up and saw Appollis in a better space and laid it up for him – it was fantastic.”
