‘Too early to speak about titles’: Pirates coach Riveiro after Sundowns drop points

Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro has revealed it was important for him and his players to understand what happened in the club's 4-1 thumping by champions Mamelodi Sundowns last week before shifting focus to the game against Baroka FC in the Nedbank Cup last 16 at Orlando Stadium on Saturday.

Pirates have won the Nedbank in the past two seasons, but despite facing a Motsepe Foundation Championship side from Limpopo, Riveiro said it was important to review what led to the huge league defeat against the Brazilians.

“The players are looking very well. We went through a tough week in terms the level of the games and level of opponents we faced three times (Kaizer Chiefs, Sekhukhune United and Sundowns) in a very short space of time,” said the Pirates coach.

“We didn't get the outcome we were looking for in Pretoria (against Sundowns). The beginning of the week was more about rest and to prepare the players from the conditional perspective, and I think mentally as well we did our job.

“We were trying to understand together what happened on the day. Why we couldn't be as good as we would like to be in a game like that. It was a good reflection from our side, basically to understand what happened.” 

Losing to Sundowns has not totally dented Pirates' season as they're very much in contention for the Betway Premiership, can defend the Nedbank and are also in the last 8 of the Caf Champions League for the first time since 2019.

Riveiro said having all the trophies to fight for is big encouragement for the team and makes the task of forgetting the Sundowns result much easier, specially after Sundowns also lost 1-0 to TS Galaxy in the league on Tuesday.

Sundowns' loss means Pirates have some form of advantage as they have two games in hand against a side that leads them by nine points.

“ I think it's too early to speak about the titles. We will be tested in different competitions. The Champions League will come after the Fifa break (in March) if I'm not wrong.

“We're trying to look at every game as an opportunity to win, to showcase the players' talent and to make sure we're at the level the project requires. This time is an opportunity to defend our Nedbank title.

“We're excited to continue the same role, the winning stride in the competition. It's going to be a tough one, but we have had an opportunity to have a look at our opponent (Baroka) and it is a serious team with a lot of quality up front and with a capacity to give you a bad day if you're not at a level the game requires.

“That's where our focus is. We'll try to be better than Baroka on Saturday, respecting them 100%. Then we're going to the next, which is league and Champions League soon. It is because we're Orlando Pirates and it's our obligation to fight for every result. This time the Nedbank is not going to be different.” 

Riveiro said he was excited to host Baroka at Orlando Stadium after last playing at the club's spiritual home on January 12 against Algerian side CR Belouizdad in the penultimate group match of the Champions League. 

Bucs have since played Al Ahly, Chiefs, Sekhukhune and Sundowns away from home, winning all but against Sundowns last week.

“We're looking forward to Saturday to come back to Orlando,” said the Pirates coach.

Pirates beat Sekhukhune (2023) and Sundowns (2024) in the finals of the Nedbank Cup, taking their overall tally in the competition to 10 and three behind their Soweto rivals Chiefs, who are facing Chippa United at the FNB Stadium on Saturday.