Last season, Orlando Pirates won their first seven league games, and this season, they have lost their first two.

And the Buccaneers’ next league fixture suggests they may encounter more battles for points, facing Stellenbosch at home on 20 August.

All eyes are on new coach Abdeslam Ouaddou, who dropped star player Relebohile Mofokeng to the bench in the 2-1 defeat to Marumo Gallants in Bloemfontein on Tuesday.

As if that was not enough, midfielder Sipho Mbule was also benched, and the defeat has certainly raised eyebrows.

Ouaddou, however, has adopted a positive approach moving forward.

“Of course, we are going to analyze the game and see what went wrong, especially in the second half. We tried to make some changes,” reflected Ouaddou.

“Unfortunately, the changes we made didn’t give what we expected from them, their level. Yeah, it’s a big disappointment, but we are going to sit, analyze, and come back stronger.”

Pirates will play Mamelodi Sundowns in the MTN8 semifinals first leg on Saturday, which is certainly their biggest test this season.