Riveiro Makes Bullish Title Claim
Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro has refused to concede defeat in the race for the Betway Premiership title, arguing that the battle for supremacy is a marathon with his side nine points behind the defending champions.
The Soweto giants will draw inspiration from having two games in hand, which provides an opportunity to narrow the gap. Mamelodi Sundowns have accumulated 42 points, while Riveiro’s charges are on 33 points in second place.
However, Masandawana missed a chance to further extend the gap when they fell short to in-form TS Galaxy three days after claiming the Bucs’ scalp. While the result offered a glimmer of hope, Riveiro says he is not keeping close tabs on Downs hoping they slip up.
“We know why we lost [against Sundowns], then what happened in the next game for them is something we cannot control obviously. I’m not watching the games hoping [they drop points], or checking my phone for results every five minutes because there’s nothing I can do there,” he said.
“I just try to focus on our next games, right now our cup game [vs Baroka], and once we hopefully manage to through to the next round. We will feel much better about ourselves. It’s an important game to show that we’re alive.”
The Pirates gaffer is optimistic about delivering the club’s first championship since the 2011/12 season, sending a bullish message to their rivals that knocking his side out of contention won’t be a walk in the park with a long way still to go in the campaign.
“It’s going to take a lot to move Pirates out of the road this season because it’s not going to be possible, let’s put it this way. The league is a marathon, it’s 30 games – I’m going to tell you [media] a couple of topics about football but it’s the truth,” Riveiro added.
While he is confident of being crowned South African champions come the end of the current term, the 49-year-old tactician is aware of the threat posed by other teams determined to achieve their targets, stating that the Rockets’ win over the Brazilians was not a fluke.
“There’s a lot of good teams that are in good form right now, for example, what happened with Galaxy and Sundowns for me it’s not a surprise. We all know how difficult it is to go to Mbombela, I think Galaxy after Sundowns was the best team in home matches last season,” continued the Bucs coach.
“It’s the same, we are playing games every two or three days, teams like us and Sundowns. So, having a bad day is something human, normal, acceptable and that’s the competition itself. Every big team or any team fighting for the league must feel this pressure when playing away from home.
“So, I think having Galaxy in that moment of form, Sekhukhune as well for us was a terrible game to play, Polokwane City. Hopefully some other teams [because] it’s good for the league, for the competition, and for our football.”
Pirates will entertain Motsepe Foundation Championship outfit Baroka FC in the Nedbank Cup at Orlando Stadium on Saturday. The Spaniard led his side to back-to-back triumphs in this competition and will be eager to defend the crown.
