Riveiro stunned as Bay knock Bucs out of Carling Cup
Questions are once again being asked if he is up to the job
● Jose Riveiro was yesterday knocked out of a cup competition for the first time since arriving in South Africa to coach Orlando Pirates at the beginning of last season.
The 5-4 penalty defeat in the last 8 of the Carling Knockout Cup against Richards Bay FC comes after the Spanish coach had won three successive cup competitions in the Premier Soccer League (PSL).
The loss comes as the Buccaneers have been struggling in the DStv Premiership this season where they’re winless in four matches in which they’ve picked up just two points from a possible 12.
Riveiro was lost for words after yesterday’s defeat as his side dominated the match but failed to find the net in 120 minutes in a match that ended goalless before Bay prevailed on penalties.
Deon Hotto had Pirates’ first penalty saved by Bay’s young goalkeeper Philasande Manqele.
“Hard to explain,” were Riveiro’s first words after yesterday’s defeat.
“The numbers (stats) are ridiculous (in favour of Pirates) but, one more time, in 120 minutes we didn’t manage to get a win.”
Riveiro was referring to their 2-1 loss in the league against Cape Town Spurs on Wednesday in Cape Town. The win was a first for PSL rookies Spurs who had lost all their eight league matches before this win.
Pirates are trailing log leaders Mamelodi Sundowns by a massive 15 points in the league ahead of their much-anticipated Soweto derby against Kaizer Chiefs at the FNB Stadium on Saturday.
Riveiro had promised that Bucs will chase the league this season after finishing 16 points behind Sundowns last season.
Pirates’ inconsistency has raised sharp questions about Riveiro’s coaching pedigree, which was a matter of huge debate when he arrived at the start of last season.
Some people, including members of the media, labelled Riveiro “a plumber” but had to swallow their words when he won three cups for Bucs in succession.
But Riveiro has no record of winning leagues where he has coached before. The 46-year-old’s CV shows that he’s only been a head coach at FC Inter Turku in Finland between 2019 and 2021 before landing his biggest job yet in South Africa.
Pirates will only go to Saturday’s derby in high spirits if they can get a victory at home against Sekhukhune United on Tuesday.
Riveiro agreed they needed a win against Sekhukhune, a team they defeated at the end of last season to claim the Nedbank Cup.
“We have to show character on Tuesday in Orlando. It’s important because we’re playing for three points. We need to play really badly but win and not being fancy like we are right now.
“We have 80% of possession but we are not scoring. We need to go to the derby as good as possible. We have our own way of doing things. We really want to win because it’s important for the confidence of the players, for our fans as well to be calmer and happier with us. It goes without saying that it’s important we win the next game.”
Rivals Chiefs have not had a good start to the season either, and they too will be hoping to return to winning ways when they visit Spurs in Cape Town on Wednesday ahead of the derby that is already guaranteed an audience of 58,000 people in the stands.
Amakhosi, who now have Cavin Johnson as an interim coach after the dismissal of Molefi Ntseki two weeks ago, have lost their last two league matches against Cape Town City and Lamontville Golden Arrows.
Chiefs are 13 points behind Sundowns after 10 matches that include five league defeats. They have lost a total of 16 matches in this calendar year, a statistic that is unprecedented as their trophy drought has now stretched to nine years.
In the second match of the double header, a first half hattrick by striker Junior Dion saw AmaZulu FC defeat Golden Arrows 3-0 to progress to the semifinal of the Carling Knockout.