“We're going to every game with an intention to win.” That's the answer Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro gives when asked about the club's ambitions in this season's Caf Champions League ahead of Saturday's big group clash against 12-time winners Al Ahly.
Pirates, the 1995 winners of what was then called the African Cup of Champions Clubs, have already outperformed their record in the Champions League since the 2013 final by reaching group stages for the second time since then. After losing to Al Ahly in the 2013 final — a run that inspired a change in attitude and fortunes by many clubs in continental football after years of underachievement at that level — Bucs did not qualify for the tournament again until 2018-19, when they exited in the group stage.
They had preliminary round exits in 2019-20 then again last season, as Riveiro's first taste of the Caf Champions League ended with embarrassment at the hands of Botswana's Jwaneng Galaxy. So it would have been satisfying this campaign to have beaten the same opposition at that stage to enter Group B.
The Buccaneers kicked off the group campaign with an impressive 2-1 win against CR Belouizdad in Algeria a week-and-half ago, with 20-year-old attacker Mohau Nkota scoring a brilliant brace. It was the first time in 10 years the Buccaneers had won a group match away from home; and ironically the team they meet next at the Orlando Stadium on Saturday were the side Pirates beat in 2013.
Like Pirates, Ahly, looking to become the first side to win the Champions League three times in succession, won their first group match, cruising to a 4-2 victory at home against Stade d'Abidjan of Ivory Coast.
But Riveiro is not worried about Ahly's history, pedigree and fearsome reputation, which is why he insists, rather than setting a points target for the group stage, he is looking to win every game, including the one against Africa's No 1 club.
“We know it's not always possible [to win], we know how difficult the task is. But we don't set any particular objective because it's not realistic in football. In football the only thing that counts is the next training and the next match,” the 47-year-old Spaniard who has won five domestic trophies with Pirates in three-and-a-half seasons, he told TimesLIVE.
“We see every game as an opportunity to be ourselves and play our football and use that football to get the result we're looking for. It doesn't matter who we play, on the day we're capable of matching anyone and that's why we want to be always close to our best performance. Like I said, we're there [in performance] most of the time and [that means] we're going to win; but sometimes we're not going to win. But we need to be loyal with the way we want to look as a football team.”
Riveiro, who earned a solid reputation coaching in Finland before his move to South Africa, seems to be enjoying the level and diversity the Champions League group stage offers. He would have enjoyed pitting his wits against Belouizdad, a team that never gave up until the end and classically North African in its organisation standard, in their packed stadium.
“All the teams in the group stage are good teams, very organised, good players, playing in must-win games most of the time. It's complicated and it was my first experience seeing the rhythm in which the game was played.
“The pace, the atmosphere too, is different there in the north. All those things together make those games something different. I won't say it's something better or worse than the PSL, but it's different for sure.
“I think it was a good way to start, having an opportunity to play away and against a tough opponent. It set the tone very well for us about what it takes if you want to win this competition.”
Riveiro says he was not surprised at how strong Belouizdad came back in the second half after Bucs were leading 2-0.
“They're playing at home, they're 2-0 down. They had to do something special in the second half if they wanted to get anything out of that game. The fans were pushing them all the way, even at half time when we went to the locker room, we could see that. The fans were cheering and pushing their players until the end.
“The field was superfast also, which helps a lot to play at a higher rhythm. They were excellent in the second half, and it was difficult to defend against them and control the game. But like I said, we're talking about a really good team with good players.”
For Riveiro and most of his players, competing in this stage of the Champions League is new but the Bucs coach feels it is coming at the right time.
“Probably now we're more ready than two years ago, but it's something we'll never know. There's no way we can prove such a statement.
“We take what we get and right now we're getting the opportunity to be there in the group stage to test ourselves against excellent opponents. We want to take this opportunity for us to keep growing as a team, as individuals and as a coach too. When it's time to go to the Champions League we have to put our focus there 100% and when we come back to the league, it's the same.”
We try to create a space where every player can be himself on the field and outside it. We, as technical staff, like to prepare them as well as possible for what's coming, giving them the information they need to feel more secure about what's going to happen so that on the field it's not a surprise for them.
— Jose Riveiro
Riveiro expects young Pirates players like Relebohile Mofokeng and Nkota to grow through playing African giants such as Ahly. He explained it has not been easy to blood younger players into the team but insists the present environment at Pirates has allowed not just them but everyone to thrive.
“In general, we try to create an environment here where players feel confident about what we're doing.
“We try to create a space where every player can be himself on the field and outside it. We, as technical staff, like to prepare them as well as possible for what's coming, giving them the information they need to feel more secure about what's going to happen so that on the field it's not a surprise for them.
“With that confidence, I think, plus the talent they have, plus the contribution of our seniors on the pitch to take care of them, to guide them in the difficult moments — all of those things together are helping them perform.
“But at the same time they have to understand they're just at the beginning [of their careers]. Sometimes it can happen that you can have one or two good games, but now the challenge for them is to be consistent, to keep growing and understand that right now one, two or three games means nothing.”
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