Riveiro wants Bucs to call shots against Sundowns

ORLANDO Pirates’ resurgence in recent weeks has come with headaches for coach Jose Riveiro.

Inheriting a squad of 36 players in a new league could be regarded as a luxury by outsiders, but it’s been a bit complicated for Riveiro.

Before the Spaniard could even think about winning matches, he had to ensure that his players adhered to his philosophy.

This meant that he had to give all the players a fair chance to impress him, avoiding selecting players based on fear, favour or previous performances.

“We live in a competitive environment, not only when we go to matches. People need to understand that,” Riveiro explained.

“The players come every morning hungry to train well, express themselves on the field and prepare to understand the needs of the week and the game.”

And having had to select players on merit rather than popularity hasn’t been easy for Riveiro as he won’t be able to please everyone, including the fans.

“Being a coach is not that easy. It’s not just about selecting the best players, you have to select the ones that you consider the best one to win a game,” he said.

In assessing everyone with a sober mind, Riveiro unleashed warriors who have potentially saved his job since the start of the campaign in August.

Monnapule Saleng was close to being sent back on loan at the start of the term before he got a rare start against Mamelodi Sundowns in the MTN8.

The 24-year-old grabbed the opportunity, helping Pirates win the MTN8, while he’s been one of their standout performers this term.

Recently Riveiro gave a chance to Terrence Dzvukamanja, who was also rumoured to be wanting out of the club, and the striker delivered.

“But like I said, I am a lucky coach with a squad full of talent and possibilities. The players are not machines, they go through different stages,” Riveiro said.

“When we gave Monnapule a chance to come in, it wasn’t like we tossed (the coin) to see what would happen. We knew that the boy was prepared for that.

“We know the competition, and that things might not go the way we expect. And with Terrence it was the same. He was doing the things well at training.”

Saleng and Dzvukamanja have been pivotal to Pirates bagging three wins in row to challenge for a top two finish. That’s why the duo are expected to lead the attack when Pirates welcome runaway defending champions Sundowns to the Orlando Stadium this afternoon.

Sundowns will head into this tie as favourites, having won their last 14 league games on the trot, extending their lead to 21 points at the top of the pile.

But Pirates, who lost the reverse fixture 2-0 late last year, want to make up for lost time and take advantage of the fact they are playing at home.

“There’s nothing special to do. We are playing at home and we want to be the one that decides the type of game that we want to see,” Riveiro said.

“I don’t have anything against the goals as long as it’s my team that’s scoring as much as possible. I think it’s going to be an open game – not boring at all.”