Sekhukhune United ‘put pressure on themselves’ after Pirates defeats

Sekhukhune United assistant coach Paulus Masehe says the club’s technical team is not feeling external pressure despite three consecutive defeats by Orlando Pirates.

Speculation has grown in recent days that head coach Cedric Kaze and his staff are under increasing scrutiny within the club’s hierarchy. Masehe, however, insists the pressure they feel comes primarily from their own expectations and desire to deliver better results.

The latest loss to Orlando Pirates saw Sekhukhune United eliminated from the MTN8 at the semi-final stage. Masehe acknowledged that the Buccaneers had been more effective in the decisive moments across the three matches between the sides.

“In our line of work, pressure is every day, you know, I cannot say there’s much pressure on the coach or technical team,” Masehe said.

“Yes, we put pressure on ourselves, we want positive results all the time, but being realistic, the past three games, Pirates executed better than us.”

Masehe’s comments came after Sekhukhune’s most recent setback against Orlando Pirates, with the defeat ending their hopes of reaching the MTN8 final. While the run of results remains a concern, he believes the team has shown signs of progress in the way it approaches matches.

He said the squad continued to display hunger, determination and a willingness to improve, describing it as a team in transition that should develop as the campaign continues.

The assistant coach also pointed to a change in the players’ attitude and level of commitment, suggesting that those qualities were moving in the right direction even though the results against Orlando Pirates had not gone their way.

“When it comes to attitude, application, when it comes to willingness to try, we’re moving into the right direction.”

Masehe reiterated that Sekhukhune United’s development would take time and that the squad could grow stronger as the season progresses. His assessment was that the team remained committed to improving, despite the disappointment of three successive defeats by Orlando Pirates and their departure from the MTN8 at the semi-final stage.

The recent losses have intensified discussion around Kaze and the technical team, but Masehe rejected the suggestion that they were being overwhelmed by pressure. Instead, he presented the situation as part of the daily demands of football management, with the coaching staff setting demanding standards for themselves.

Sekhukhune United now face the challenge of turning improved attitude and application into positive results. For Masehe, the immediate priority is continued development from a squad still going through transition, while accepting that Orlando Pirates had performed better when the outcome of their recent meetings was decided.