Kabelo Dlamini: Why he is key for Orlando Pirates.

Orlando Pirates attacking midfielder, Kabelo Dlamini. Image: Twitter

Kabelo Dlamini is not a favorite of many an Orlando Pirates fan, but he is slowly repaying Jose Riveiro's faith in him.

In Saturday afternoon's 2-0 win over Chippa United, Dlamini scored his Pirates' first goal to open his account for this season.

Before yesterday's goal, the attacking midfielder had contributed in five league goals for Amabhakaniya, through assists, with one of them coming last weekend in Pirates' 2-0 win over Richards Bay.

Dlamini, who by all means is not your typical Pirates number 10, with his lack of charisma and flamboyance you would find in a Thembinkosi Lorch for an example, has been a subject of many unhappy conversations amongst Amabhakaniya's faithful, with some questioning his continued presence in the Pirates line up.

In fact, when Lorch came back from his long injury layoff, he was expected to be the one to replace Dlamini in the Pirates line up.

But as he has shown, Dlamini is just irreplaceable.

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He has appeared 24 times across all competitions for Bucs.

Maybe the answer as to why he is continually selected lies in his goal against Chippa and his assist against Richards bay.

Last weekend against the Natal Rich Boyz, Dlamini drifted to the right outside channel from his usual central position to create an overload, a decision that saw him received the ball with a lot of space to maneuver.

He then delivered a pin point cross that was directed into the back of the net.

Against Chippa on Saturday, Dlamini's perfectly timed run landed him on the edge of the six yard box, where he calmly slotted home a Monnapule Saleng cut back pass.

The common denominator in both the above incidents is the good decision making behind them, as well as the execution.

In short, Dlamini's football brain, which doesn't scream for attention, his excellent tactical/technical abilities, as well as his work rate, have been the major contributors in his constant presence in Jose Riveiro team.

In a nutshell, Dlamini might not be your typical Pirates number 10, but his work in the final third, without making the headlines, is what Riveiro keeps giving him more playing opportunities for, he is efficient.

Riveiro on Dlamini:

"Absolutely, we have a lot of quality in our front department," he told SuperSport TV as quoted by iDiski Times. https://www.idiskitimes.co.za/dstv-premiership/riveiro-people-dont-realise-how-important-he-is/

"I’m not going to discover Lorch, now with Dlamini people sometimes don’t realise how important he is for us, how much he helps us in our build-up process.

"I’m so happy for the boy because today he managed to get one goal and it’s going to be very important for him for the future."

Pirates back to second spot after beating Chippa 2-0.

Orlando Pirates crowd favorite, Thembinkosi Lorch. Image: Twitter

Orlando Pirates made it four Dstv Premiership wins in a row when they beat Chippa United 2-0 at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Gqeberha, on Saturday afternoon.

Goals from Kabelo Dlamini, who scored from close range following a Monnapule Saleng cut back in the 20th minute, and crowd favorite, Thembinkosi Lorch who showed his experience with a calm finish after beating Chippa's offside trap in the 38th minute, were enough to see Pirates grab the all-important three points which moved them back to the second spot on superior goal difference over third placed SuperSport United.

In what was not their vintage performance, despite controlling possession of the ball with 57%, it was a combination of hunger, superior quality, and a bit of efficiency that won the game for Amabhakaniya.

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There wasn't a lot of goal mouth action in Gqeberha for Bucs as we have come to know them, but from their five goal attempts, they managed to get three on target, with two ending up in the back of the net.

The 2-0 win means Pirates have now scored nine goals, with just one conceded in their last four league games.

It is their ability to keep clean sheets that will help in with their positive goal difference column, something that might play a role in determining who gets the Caf Champions League spot come the end of the season, with the race expected to go down to the wire.

Pirates' next league game will be against Cape Town City on Saturday 22 April at Orlando Stadium.