MIHLALI BALEKA
PRESSURE at Orlando Pirates is a privilege. Hence, coach Jose Riveiro and his men have upped the ante when it matters the most: the closing stages of the season.
Pirates are where they want to be in the season. They are fighting for the last trophy – the Nedbank Cup – and a second place finish in the DStv Premiership.
Of course, their season would have been much better if they had challenged for the title, but it wasn’t to be, due to an inconsistent run of form.
Riveiro is not crying over spilt milk, though. Instead, the Spaniard has embraced the fact that he can bag back-to-back cup doubles and second place finishes.
The 48-year-old had a breakthrough season to remember at Pirates last term, winning the MTN8 and Nedbank Cup, while finishing second in the league.
History can repeat itself. Pirates have already defended the MTN8, and will now face Chippa United in the Nedbank Cup semis tomorrow (3pm) at Nelson Mandela Bay.
They’ve also intensified their bid to finish second in the league, having now won four successive league games after beating Cape Town City 2-0 on Wednesday.
And while that result was not enough to see them leapfrog Stellenbosch in second, Pirates still believe they’ll reach the promised land in the last four games.
After all, Riveiro, speaking ahead of their clash against Chippa yesterday at their Rand Stadium base, mentioned the importance of finishing the season on a high.
“I think when you are at a club such as Orlando Pirates you have to arrive at the closing stages of the season fighting for big objectives,” Riveiro said.
“That’s what we want. We are happy to be one more time finding ourselves fighting for a final (but) we know it’s going to be a difficult match (against Chippa).
“But we want to be in that final because we are representing Pirates. We would like to be fighting for the league, which is not possible any more.
“Right now there are two objectives for us now: be in the final and finish the season second in the league, which is not a minor thing.”
Key to their top performances has been the effective squad management by Riveiro and his backroom staff.