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Riveiro: We Are Better Than Last Season

  • June 3, 2024
  • 2 min read
  • 227 Views
Riveiro: We Are Better Than Last Season

Despite an inconsistent season, Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro believes the 2023/24 campaign was a success compared to the last.

This comes even though Pirates finished a significant 23 points behind dominant champions Mamelodi Sundowns. Last season, Pirates secured a runner-up finish with 54 points, 16 behind Sundowns. This year, they ended with 50 points and a wider 23-point gap, but crucially, reclaimed the domestic treble – all against Sundowns in the finals.

The latest triumph came this weekend with a Nedbank Cup final victory over Sundowns at Mbombela Stadium.

“We had ups and downs,” Riveiro reflected. 

“I think last season was even more like straight line and this season we had a terrible period and good period, exceptional period. I’m talking about football, neh.”

“Think of it like this,” he continued with a chuckle, “we’ve been cooking.”

This is a reference to a popular South African social media term used by fans to describe a coach or a player making progress with the team.

“I think the progression, the evolution of the team this season is superior then last season, in my opinion,” he continued. 

“If that means eight out of 10, seven and half, I don’t know. It might be our fans and you guys who will judge on the work that we do, but me, as I said as a coach and my position is an important part of the group, I can tell you that, in terms of football, this is better than last season. 

“Now, with this trophy on top, it now looks better. But still a big room to improve in the future.” 

Pirates played a demanding schedule of 45 matches across all competitions this season, winning 25, drawing eight, and losing 12.

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Robin-Duke Madlala

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