Pirates STILL holds the advantage… I do expect divided views on this article. For Pirates lovers, this article will bring some smile, for Pirates haters, they will think I am not normal and for the neutral like me, they will look at the facts that made me say advantage…Pirates STILL holds... On my previous post “Advantage Pirates” I wrote, “the most important objective for Pirates in their 1st leg tie is :- not to concede a goal at home and should not lose the game”. Well, I can say, Pirates had achieved 50% of their objective (according to me), they didnt lose the match but they did concede an away goal. Tough!!! Why am I saying Pirates still holds the advantage? Here are my four reasons and facts. 1. Playing condition. Cairo, home of Al Ahly is situated at 75 meters above the sea level compare to Johannesburg, Orlando Pirates home situated at 1700 meters above the sea level When Pirates played in Orlando Stadium in high altitude, Pirates took a lot of short outside the 18 area and very few of them were on target. When playing at higher altitudes, you dont need as much power, but you do need more control. Pirates tried to shoot from distance because they knew the ball will travel faster. Now that they will be playing at sea level, Pirates knows that they will have to run with the ball into the area. 2. Pirates fitness level It is known that Kenyans and Ethiopians have advantage over many other nation athletes in long distance running coz they do train in higher altitude. The same should be said about Orlando Pirates players. At 1200 meters above the sea, they should be fitter and should run longer than Ahly players. We saw Gomaa holding his hips during the game in Orlando Stadium fortnight ago, we saw Abo Trika replaced, the same went for Naguip. With this knowledge, RDS can tell his players to run with the ball throughout the match. 3. Previous result in Egypt vs Ahly 0-3 The last time Pirates played Ahly in Egypt, they had scored 3 goals and came home with 3pts that kicked off they group stage campaign. Even though the conditions were a bit different (the venue, player fasting, close stadium…), it was the same team, Ahly. So on Sunday, Pressure will be on the home team to do well. They will look for an early goal to settle their nerves. 4. More time for a Mega goal With the score at 1-1 from the 1st leg, Pirates both teams know that, in case of equal aggregate at the end of 90 minutes of regulation, Orlando Pirates will have another 30 minutes to score that away goal that will require Ahly to get 2 more at the same period. As I said above, Training at high altitude ( Johannesburg) increases your physical endurance, which can result in better performance at lower altitudes. Youll be able to play longer matches and hit harder and faster. With these four raisons, I still give advantage to Pirates. But we all know, football matches are won on the pitch, not on paper or Internet post. Good luck Pirates, Go and make history. Your future still in your legs
Posted on: Fri, 08 Nov 2013 05:34:39 +0000
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