Pirates coach Riveiro resists temptation to praise Saleng as he focuses on team effort

Orlando Pirates coach José Riveiro resisted temptation to shower praise on Monnapule Saleng alone, choosing rather to focus on the team as a whole after their convincing 4-1 win over Swallows on Friday. 

Saleng scored a hat-trick and provided an assist in the win to take his DStv Premiership goal tally to eight after 14 appearances. strengthening his argument to be counted among the nominees for the coveted Footballer of the Season award.

“Personally I see this game as a collective, even if I get a trophy, it is not for me but it is for the team and the coaching staff,” he said after the win that left them in third spot with 32 points from 22 matches.

“We are working together. I understand the meaning of individual awards in football and that they are attractive. They will always go to those who score or assist and it is going to be difficult that the trophy will go to a centre back.

“For whatever reason we can analyse that, if one of my players get a trophy I will be happy for him because it means that the team is getting the benefit of that individual contribution.  

“We need that but our job is to help them to play good football together, which is not easy because we have had many teams with players of talent but they were never able to play together.”

Riveiro said they have created an environment and structure that allows players to get better.

“We try to create an environment and structure where all the talented players can have space in our team. It is not easy to do it, it not something that you cannot do in a short space of time while at the same time trying to continue winning. 

“We are trying to find a balance in between understanding the team that we are representing and the fact that we have to get the results and at the same time we have to build something else. 

“Like I said before, we used to put our eyes in the players that do the last pass to the net. We want to see them as part of whole picture and structure that will give us the possibilities to celebrate games like this one more frequently.”

Riveiro said they are not doing anything special for players like Saleng to thrive this season.

 “When inside that structure you have possibilities to see players like the ones who played today, I think they all played very well in front of our central midfielder.

“We are doing nothing special, we are just trying to work as good as possible every day. We are trying to help our players to find solutions on the field. 

“In the end it is their talent and their understanding of the game and their capacity to make decisions in small spaces. The way they interact, like I said, in the end of the key from our side is the responsibility to guarantee that they spend more time on the ball. 

“It is their talent and I cannot explain to our players how to pass the ball or how to fool the opponent, that is something natural.”

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