Riveiro under pressure to deliver the league title?

Alfred Ndengane – former Orlando Pirates defender

What supporter

Jose Riveiro is adored by Orlando Pirates for the success he has brought to the club in Cup competitions since his arrival last season, but there is still one thing missing in the trophy cabinet – the DStv Premiership title. Riveiro is about to complete his second season with the Buccaneers and will go into a third campaign next term with possibly more pressure to deliver the Premiership title and end the dominance of Mamelodi Sundowns. Soccer Laduma asks former players and a supporter about the pressure Riveiro will be under to win the Premiership title, or do the knockout competitions give him some breathing space?

Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro has won the hearts of the Buccaneers’ supporters with his incredible record in knockout competitions, but pressure looks set to mount with the league title a priority for the club and its following.

As he heads towards the end of his second season with the Soweto giants, the Spaniard has led the Buccaneers to four knockout competition finals out of five and could make it title number four if they beat Mamelodi Sundowns in the Nedbank Cup final at Mbombela Stadium on June 1.

While knockout competition titles have brought smiles to the faces of everyone associated with the club, the third season looks set to come with more pressure of having to lead the club to the league title. Pirates have supported the 48-yearold tactician in the transfer market, bringing in players they believe are capable of winning the league title. One of Pirates’ most successful coaches in the PSL era, Ruud Krol, was under tremendous pressure to win the league title going into his third and final season with Pirates in 2010/11 and finally delivered on the big prize, along with the MTN8 and Nedbank Cup in one campaign.

Unlike Krol, Riveiro has three trophies to his name, giving himself some breathing space, but that does not mean that there won’t be pressure on him to deliver the title. With Dr Irvin Khoza believed to be heading closer to retirement, there will certainly be a call for the coach to deliver the league title to honour the chairman. Riveiro’s contract is due to expire in June 2025 and his third season could play a big role in deciding whether or not there is an extension and there would be no better way to convince management to keep him than to win the Premiership title.

Consistency is key Lucky Lekgwathi – former Orlando Pirates captain

“This is something we were talking about at the gym. The coach has been winning knockout competitions, but the league title…what about the league title? There is always pressure when you coach a team like Pirates because the chairman and supporters demand silverware. Look, the coach has done well to win trophies, but everyone talks about the league. Krol won the league in his third season, so maybe Riveiro might have that luck to win it in his third season. I think he needs to come out with another strategy in his third season to try to win the league. The same way he comes up with a strategy to win the cups, he needs to come up with a strategy to win the league.

Mamelodi Sundowns has been dominating when it comes to the league, so he has to find a way to win it, but I know it’s not going to be easy. When you look at Sundowns, they are so consistent when it comes to league games. Pirates need to make sure that they are consistent because they sometimes drop points where it’s unnecessary. In games where you are sure that Pirates will win, they sometimes drop points. They concede an equaliser, or they end up losing to a team that is bottom of the league. You cannot allow those teams to get three points because that’s where Sundowns collect their points. Sundowns go all out. Pirates start well in the MTN8 and then something happens after that. If they were consistent, they would have been challenging Sundowns now. We as supporters obviously won’t lose patience with him because he has won trophies and we have been able to have some things to brag about. At Kaizer Chiefs, there is a lot more pressure because they have not won anything (since 2015). We already have something in the bag, and he has won the cups convincingly, but he needs to try to win the league. They play good football, so I believe it’s possible. They just need to make sure that they are consistent throughout the season.”

Time to focus on the league Bennett Chenene – former Orlando Pirates winger

“The coach has shown that he is someone who is a winner, but he has to start focusing on the league more than he does with the cups because the cup competitions are obviously short. It’s just a few games and then you win. He has to try to maintain that winning combination in the league. He has done well in the cups, and I am not complaining at all about him, but he needs to look at the league and not lose unnecessary matches. Look at how consistent Sundowns is when it comes to the league. They don’t lose matches. They would rather draw, and they take the point. Pirates, at times, lose and that’s where they let themselves down. During our time, Sundowns was not winning like this. They would win a cup now and again, but now they are dominating by winning seven league titles in a row. That’s a first, but that would not happen during our time. I think he needs to focus on the league and then the cups will be a bonus. He has that pressure in the league, and I think he also wants to win it, so he has to make sure that he focuses on it more. A problem and another concern for the team could be competing in the CAF competitions. I think he has a lot of players in his squad, and he can use different combinations in the CAF and in the league. So, the re are some players who can play in the different competitions. I think that will be important if they want to challen ge for the league title next season.”

The problem with Pirates…

“When you look at the curre nt Pirates squad, I think they can definitely match the quality that Sundowns has. They are actually matching Sundow ns in terms of s quad qualif ity, we can put it that way. When you look at the previous matches they have played against one another, you can see that they match S undowns. It’s not like P irates go out there and park the bus. It’s a poundfor-pound game. The problem with Pirates is that they lack consistency. Just look at how Sun d owns have gone the whole season without losing a game, as compared to Pirates. So, the only thing from the Pirates side that they need to work on for next season is consistency. If they can start the season well and maintain consistency, then I believe they can go all the way and win the league.”

the says… Pirates are trying their best Jwarha – Orlando Pirates supporter

“As supporters who belong to branches, we know how to support the team. Our job is to support the team, during the good and the bad times. Three or four months ago, there were supporters who were saying that the coach is failing us when it comes to challenging for the league. But, in his first season, he won two cups, and we finished number two. This is his second season, and he has already won the MTN8 and there is still a chance to win the Nedbank Cup and we can still finish number two in the league. Yes, there are ups and downs in the league, but the team is still doing very well. I don’t want to put them under pressure, but they do know that the league title is a priority for us. We know that the honour of winning the DStv Premiership is higher than other cup competitions, but we still believe that the team has been doing well. Yes, right now, it’s Sundowns that is winning season after season, but Pirates are trying their best. I believe we have a chance to challenge for this DStv Premiership next season.”