Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro has heaped praise on his players, likening them to a pack of animals for the respectable campaign they have staged, with the Buccaneers competing on all fronts until the latter stages.

The Soweto giants are still in contention for the Betway Premiership title with 49 points accumulated from 22 league outings, with two games in hand over runaway log leaders Mamelodi Sundowns, who maintain a 12-point gap.

While they retain a slight glimmer of hope, it would take an unlikely miracle for Pirates to pip Sundowns to the championship at this stage. In addition, Riveiro’s men were recently sent packing out of the CAF Champions League semi-final by Egyptian outfit Pyramids FC.

However, the Sea Robbers still have a shot at lifting a trophy as they are set to lock horns with Kaizer Chiefs in the Nedbank Cup final at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday, having already clinched the MTN8 title for a record-breaking third time in a row last year in October.

With the business end of the 2024/25 season fast approaching, the Spanish mentor, who is set to leave Pirates at the end of the season, says his players’ mentality and efforts cannot be questioned as they have established themselves as a force to be reckoned with this term.

“I think this group, during the whole season, they managed to show [what they are capable of], and right now we are in May. We shouldn’t even question that [winning mentality], I mean they are performing every three days like animals, like beasts,” Riveiro said.

“They are just running, trying, playing, not complaining at all, competing in every competition. We played one final, we are in another final, and we are trying to run the race with Sundowns until the very last day.

“We were 10 minutes close from playing a Champions League final, so what else can you ask from the [players]?

Riveiro, who guided the Mayfair club to five domestic cup titles since taking over in June 2022, is keen to leave a lasting legacy and a good foundation for his successor to build on, stating that Pirates will continue to win and compete for major silverware post his imminent departure.

“These guys are proving to everyone that they really want to do something special this season, and maybe we don’t because this is football and the results are not in our hands and we are playing against good teams and all of those things,” he added.

“But the will to do it, the composure, the concentration, the commitment of the team this season, is something that hopefully we can make sure that they can continue with again and again in the upcoming season because this team is going to continue winning for sure in two months, in three months because they want to [win].”

Fresh from claiming Chiefs’ scalp in the Soweto derby last weekend, Pirates will return to action with a trip to the Moses Mabhida Stadium to face Manqoba Mngqithi’s 14th-placed Golden Arrows in the Betway Premiership on Tuesday (19:30).