Mamelodi Sundowns defender Mosa Lebusa has thrown shade at Orlando Pirates’ title aspirations next season, despite pundits suggesting a tighter PSL race.
While acknowledging Pirates’ recent cup success, Lebusa believes the Sea Robbers lack the “mental fortitude” to dethrone the dominant Brazilians. This comes after Sundowns extended their PSL reign to a remarkable seven seasons, consistently outclassing their rivals.
“I mean, they have been saying that [Pirates will challenge Sundowns] for quite some seasons, and here we are,” Lebusa told iDiski Times.
“But I feel they have a good team, and we just saw what happened now, but I’m not sure if they are on the same level as us in terms of the mental capacity of our desires, what we want to achieve. But we are ready for whatever they bring to us.
“But I think our competition is ourselves, you know, every season we work hard to be better than we were the previous season.”
Pirates have showcased their quality in cup competitions, securing back-to-back MTN8 and Nedbank Cup victories, even overcoming Masandawana in the 2023-24 Nedbank Cup. However, their league form paints a different picture.
Finishing runners-up in the past two seasons, Pirates consistently fell short in the title race, with the gap between them and Sundowns highlighting the gulf in class.
Last season, Sundowns finished a staggering 23 points ahead, further solidified by their 16-point lead the year before.
This vast difference suggests Pirates have a significant mountain to climb if they want to challenge Sundowns’ dominance.