Credit to Riveiro for another cup win, but can he light a league race fire under Pirates?

The big question ahead of Saturday’s MTN8 final was: can Orlando Pirates beat Mamelodi Sundowns?

Diehard Bucs fans, permitted an opportunity to gloat, might now cheekily retort: can Mamelodi Sundowns beat Orlando Pirates? 

The Sea Robbers did what most pundits thought unlikely as they downed the DStv Premiership’s six-time successive champions Mamelodi Sundowns at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday. While it was the heroics of goalkeeper Sipho Chaine that hogged the headlines, particularly with his three stops in the penalty shoot-out, similar, if not all, praise should go to coach Jose Riveiro. 

Riveiro must have been under pressure as Pirates' last few fixtures saw the goals dry up, and among three defeats in four matches was an early exit from the Caf Champions League when they failed to beat Botswana’s Jwaneng Galaxy. Progressing in the Champions League, particularly in the era of Sundowns’ consistency in Africa’s premier continental club competition, is a major ambition at Pirates, and one that has proven elusive. They had hoped for a better return in 2023-24. So another early exit came as a notable blow.

Pirates wallow in 14th place in the Premiership, though they’ve played five matches to the other clubs’ eight or nine. Still, after an expensive preseason camp in Spain, any signs, after hitting some heights with some exciting early displays, that his team were going even just a bit off the boil would have concerned Riveiro. Points dropped in the first half of last season resulted in a 16-point gap between runners-up Pirates and Downs at the end of last season’s Premiership. Bucs had vowed to challenge the Brazilians more closely in 2023-24.

The coach admitted the mini-wobble had him stressed going into the final. That his and the club’s third domestic cup win in succession came against Sundowns would have had more satisfaction to it. 

Pirates have dominated Sundowns without always managing a win in recent encounters. The exception was in last year’s MTN8 semifinals where Bucs gave Downs an extremely rare 3-0 hiding in one leg in Polokwane, with the other ending 0-0. Other recent encounters have seen Pirates look good but lose.

Champions aren’t made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them, a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have last-minute stamina, they have to be a little faster, they have to have the skill and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill

—  Muhammad Ali

The speculation going into Saturday’s final was Bucs would not be able to resist striving for the same attractive brand of football that shocked Downs in last year’s semifinal, and in so doing Downs would pick off the mistakes and ultimately lift the trophy. Instead, in windy conditions on a sub-par pitch, for once Pirates showed the will to grind it out against the Brazilians.

Riveiro got his tactics about right. A technical switch in the midfield saw Thabang Monare pair with Miguel Timm. Sundowns coach Rulani Mokwena identified the work rate of Timm, reading and breaking his team down as a key factor in the result. And the unlikely pairing up-top of Zakhele Lepasa and Kermit Erasmus was just the trick to keep Sundowns’ wingbacks from making as many threatening overlapping runs as they normally do, stymying a major source of the Pretoria side’s impetus. 

The unfortunate injury to Nkosinathi Sibisi early in the game (Sibisi was also injured and had to be replaced in last year’s MTN8 final) that saw Nigerian defender Olisa Ndah pair with Thapelo Xoki in defence turned out to be more of a reinforcement than a blow. Ndah had not played a single minute of football since February when he came off the bench and scored an own goal. His performance will surely give Riveiro something to think about for Pirates’ coming fixtures. 

All that said, one win over Sundowns — even in a cup final — will do little to ignite the fire needed to for the sustained challenge of properly competing for a league title. Riveiro still needs something special to create real title contenders in Pirates. They have the players, they have the means, but a vital link in the chain will take them to greater heights.

Like many other teams in SA, Pirates’ greatest undoing is their inconsistent form. We all watched as they had an impressive build-up to the season. They recorded wins against Maccabi Tel Aviv, Pretoria Callies, Moroka Swallows, TS Galaxy and Independiente del Valle. We thought, could this be the year where another team might challenge for the league? Five games in, Pirates have only managed two wins, a draw and two defeats, which is too many points dropped for a league race where Downs have started with a record-equalling eight wins from eight. They do have games in hand, but anyone knows those don’t automatically mean points. 

It is now that the Pirates’ coaching team must show their moxie. There is no time for managed expectations, a belief needs to be instilled by Riveiro that they can win everything and have no room for failure. Confidence needs to be their currency.

Muhammad Ali once said: “Champions aren’t made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them, a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have last-minute stamina, they have to be a little faster, they have to have the skill and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill.” 

When the question is asked of Orlando Pirates whether they can beat a team, they need to retort and ask: “Can that team beat us?” That attitude, in a sustained manner, could see Riveiro’s team push Downs in the coveted league race.