Orlando Pirates coach Ruud Krol rued the absence of Benson Mhlongo in Saturday's Soweto derby against arch rivals Kaizer Chiefs.

The two giants of South African football played to a disappointing 0-0 draw and Krol told Football365.co.za it was clear 'Bucs' struggled to cope in midfield without the workaholic midfielder, who is sidelined with a knee injury.

"I'm a worried man because I lost a good player and captain in my team," said Krol.

"I think we lost the battle in midfield, because with Benson not available for the match, it was not going to be easy. We had to put Mlungisi Gumbi (now Mdluli), who didn't play many matches before this game and that was not easy. I'm not able to give you an update about his injury, because of the swelling, but it does not look good."

Krol also hit back when it was put to him that Pirates didn't play to win, because they hardly tested Arthur Bartman. "Of course we played to win, but at the end we have to be satisfied with what we got. There were not too many chances created by both teams, but I think it was still an interesting match to watch," he insisted.

The Dutchman concedes 'Bucs' lack of goals is getting to him.

"That (goalscoring) is still a problem for us and we are still working hard on that. Some time we play the ball backwards and not enough forward, maybe that's the problem, but I still say we were better in the first half with our patient build-ups. The goals will come," he added.