Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro says they are not losing sleep over undesirable results as they give their all at training and in matches.
Pirates were expected to grow and be more successful this season, having won a cup double and finishing second in the DStv Premiership last season.
But they have been blighted by inconsistency.
They defended their MTN8 title, but missed out on the Carling Knockout Cup.
Their shortcomings in the latter tournament were a mere blemish, having won the previous three cup trophies, including the Nedbank Cup, under the Spaniard.
Instead, it was in the league where Pirates have been below par, dropping points that they were not expected to, resulting in them trailing log leaders Mamelodi Sundowns by a hefty points margin.
Those shortcomings opened up a can of worms for Riveiro, with naysayers insisting that he was out of his depth and must be sacked as a result.
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📆 Saturday, 09 December 2023
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However, Riveiro seems to have turned the tide in the league, collecting 10 points out of a possible 12 in the last four matches, having won the last two derbies as well.
Speaking ahead of his team’s clash against TS Galaxy at Orlando Stadium on Saturday evening (6pm kick-off), Riveiro said on Thursday that he was not under pressure when things weren’t going right.
“I do feel the pressure when I don’t know what I am doing in my life. But if I know what I am doing, I don’t feel any pressure,” Riveiro told the media at their training base.
“But that’s what we try to do as a team. I am not only talking about me, but as a group. We know what we are doing and trying to achieve. So, there’s no pressure.
“Sometimes we feel the pressure from the games due to different reasons, but not on our day-to-day routine. I don’t wake up in the morning and think, ‘Oh Jesus, what a pressure’. It’s not that.”
Riveiro has no pressure because he knows that he and his players do their best at training and on the pitch, but sometimes things don’t go their way.
“We try to be our best version every day. We managed to do it in some periods in our time together here,” said Riveiro, before admitting that they’ve been inconsistent this season.
“There was a moment this season that we lost points. It’s a fact, if we talk about results. But the level of our performance was most of the time – if I could say – too exceptional this season.
“But results are something that we could never control. You can see from our – and others’ games – that the results are not in our control. There’s nothing we can do about it.”
There’s nothing that Pirates can do about Sundowns’ dominance as well. Masandawana have won all 10 matches since the start of the season to set a record in the top flight.
Pirates, who have played two more games than Sundowns, but trail them by 11 points, will do their best to win their remaining matches – but that won’t stop the Brazilians from winning theirs.
“If you talk about the team that’s leading the log with 30 points in 10 games, that’s exceptional – but it’s not only our responsibility to stop them,” Riveiro said.
“We only face them twice a season, and the season is very long. So, if we finish the season competing against an opponent that wins every game, there’s nothing you can do about that.
“We must just congratulate them (for winning the title) and try again next season.”
