‘I’m not going to make this game a final,’ defiant Riveiro says after Pirates’ thumping

Many South African football supporters, mainly those of Orlando Pirates, are still asking themselves what led to the Bucaneers capitulating the way they did in their 4-1 thrashing by champions Mamelodi Sundowns at Loftus Stadium on Saturday.

On the face of it, it took me no time to conclude there was a serious lack of depth in Jose Riveiro's team that had gone to Loftus for the clash against the Betway Premiership leaders and seven-time champions, having lost two of their previous 13 matches and won the other 11.

The Buccaneers went to Sundowns' stronghold amid great hope they would be the team to challenge the Brazilians for the league, having just beaten their Soweto arch-rivals Kaizer Chiefs 1-0 and Sekhukhune United 2-1 leading up to Saturday's showdown.

Unlike the previous two seasons, where Pirates' poor starts were the main reason for the huge trailing gaps as runners-up (16 and 23 points), Bucs were breathing down Sundowns' necks, six points behind with a game in hand.

In the end, the Brazilians not only humiliated Bucs, but handed Riveiro his heaviest defeat since joining Pirates two-and-half years ago, with striker Lucas Ribeiro helping himself to a wonderful brace, and on the either side of that Grant Kekana hitting the opener and Teboho Mokoena ending with a firecracker.

The defeat raised questions about Bucs' depth as they looked a shadow of themselves without the protection of injured Thalente Mbatha, a defensive midfielder who had been present in Bucs' previous 13 matches ahead of Saturday's game.

Mbatha, alongside 13 others Sipho Chaine (14), Nkosinathi Sibisi (13), Deano van Rooyen (12), Patrick Maswanganyi (12), Paseka Mako (10), Thabiso Sesane (13), Kabelo Dlamini (13), Makhehleni Makhaula (13), Relebohile Mofokeng (14), Evidence Makgopa (12), Tshegofatso Mabasa (13), Deon Hotto (13) and Mohao Nkota (11) — had played 10 or more of Bucs' 14 league matches this season.

At the beginning of the season Riveiro boasted of a squad of close to 40 players, but the stats show his trust in around 15 of them as a core of front-liners. In Pirates' 14th league clash against Sundowns signs of fatigue appeared all over their squad and those non-regulars, like Phillip Ndlondlo (he had played one league game before Saturday), Karim Kimvuidi (two) and Siyabonga Ndlozi (league debut against Sundowns), could not offer much to their team when they were thrown in later in the match.

But while it might be easy to blame Pirates' defeat on depth, a wise football coach this reporter constantly consults on these matters reminded that me a coach builds depth in his team by giving as many players as possible a chance.

“If he does, he avoids what happened to Pirates against Sundowns where the coach had no option but to start with his regulars, but had players with little or no game time on the bench. For me Pirates have real quality. I can put a strong line-up without the regulars, at all,” the coach, who did not want to be named, insisted without putting the blame squarely on Riveiro, who has had players like defender Sandile Mthethwa and Angolan striker Gilberto leave the club without having been given much game time at Pirates.

At the end of Saturday's match Riveiro avoided discussing depth in his squad, arguing that the state of the pitch (which he agreed affected both teams) didn't allow Pirates to play their normal game.

“We didn't find a way to progress to the spaces where we're used to. We always needed an extra touch and with a permanent threat of (Peter) Shalulile and (Iqraam) Rayners in the last line, it was difficult to control the turnovers and the transitions,” said the Bucs coach. 

“I think Sundowns managed to get the three points despite the circumstances (terrible pitch) under which this game was played. It was a tough week for us coming from the (Soweto) derby and against Sekhukhune. It was tough games to play and today we're feeling a bit bitter, but I think overall there are a lot of things positive for us in this week.”

Riveiro tried, in a way, to prove that they have depth and in Dlamini, they had a player who could equally play as Mbatha. But Dlamini is more of an offensive player, one who's at home playing behind the strikers. 

On Saturday he was asked to partner Makhaula in a deep midfield role, but as much as he tried, his work at many times was disrupted not by Sundowns, but his teammate Maswanganyi, who lost the ball 19 times in the match, constantly putting his team under intense pressure. 

That Maswanganyi finished the match despite not having any impact against Sundowns was also down to Riveiro having put all his eggs in one basket — not giving as many players a chance. 

“I think Kabelo was helping us on the ball, always giving us extra time on the ball to get organised. In the second half he was the one giving us the balance in the midfield, even in our rest defence, winning duels, helping the centre backs. Somehow, we've taught our eyes to believe that Makhaula is more defensive than Kabelo. But everybody defends when we don't have the ball, even with Makhaula you can see the evolution with him as an offensive player when we're on the ball.

“So we played today with players with experience and quality. Dlamini's numbers in the league are top in every aspect, but sometimes our eyes are telling us things that are not totally true. We just want to confirm what we think about one player even though the player is doing something totally different.”

And then came a time when Riveiro had to explain whether he sees any gulf between his team and Sundowns. “The difference between the two teams will show in the end of the season after 30 games. Then we'll see if we're at the same level, if the difference is big or it is not. But this is one game, and the games can go sometimes in different directions. 

“We could have scored in the first half even though Sundowns were better than us. Had we scored the Hotto chance we could be talking about a different game in the second half. The difference is never in one game, it's not. Even when we beat them in the Nedbank Cup final (June last year), the difference was in the 90 minutes.

“Every time these teams clash there's a lot of things to be said, but today they were better than us in finding a way to win this match. That was the only difference for me between the two teams. They were much more ... I'm trying (to explain), they were more pragmatic than us, efficient with the players in the last line and not giving us many opportunities. Well played and well done from the opponent, but the difference is never the scoring one. Let's be fair with both teams.”

Again, Riveiro refused to concede that Sundowns' win has opened a nine-points gap (though Bucs have a match in hand) that Pirates can't close in their remaining 16 matches.

“Things can change,” insisted the Bucs coach. “Think about our week. We played Chiefs and we were about to draw to be honest. 90 something (94) we got a penalty, and we got three points. We played Sekhukhune away and we had never beaten Sekhukhune during my time at Pirates. We managed to get three points and now we're here with Sundowns competing as hell.

“The way we ran today on the field is second to none, despite the 4-1 (defeat). If I have a look at the week, I'm extremely positive about this team, the way we're doing things and competing in every competition. We have a title (MTN8) already in our cabinet this season, so the difference of points right now with 16 games to play, and the way that we're competing, is not the problem.

“My problem is Baroka (the first division team Pirates will play in the last 16 of the Nedbank Cup in Orlando on Saturday). Like I said, the end of the season is the time to do an analysis about who is winning the title and the other contenders. I'm not going to make this game a final, winning or losing it.”   

I'm sure for Sundowns, who were not even in first gear on Saturday, will celebrate as if they've won a final because they know how vital points gained from rival title contenders mean in the end. 

Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso, yet to taste a league defeat after adding seven wins to the other seven that his predecessor Manqoba Mngqithi, who left in December, attained, summarised the importance of three points in Saturday's match.

“I keep saying,” said Cardoso after Saturday's match, “the championship is far away from the finish, very far away. But now each match we play, we can close it more and more. We've just got a small advantage, and we should respect it. To respect that advantage, we should give our best and the best is on Tuesday (when they play TS Galaxy at Mbombela Stadium).

“I have already spoken to the players in the change room, we should celebrate, but there's no time to party. Please go home and sleep, rest enough because there's another match and the responsibility become bigger and bigger.”

The same cannot be said of Pirates.