The arrival of Spanish coach Jose Riveiro has brought back the glory days at Orlando Pirates as they are eyeing a fifth consecutive league win this evening when they take on AmaZulu at Orlando Stadium.
In the four games played, the Buccaneers have kept three clean sheets, scored eight goals, and conceded just a single goal against Chippa United on the opening day.
Pirates have already claimed silverware in the MTN8 etching their name down into the history books as the first team to win the competition three times in succession after defeating Stellenbosch 3-1 in the recent final.
They are still in the group stages of the CAF Champions League, and I’m sure they would love to go the full distance and win the continental showpiece. That being said, Riveiro’s men were stunned in the opening round of the Carling Knockout Cup by newly promoted Magesi FC after they lost 3-2, eliminating the Soweto giants from the competition.
Riveiro expected his men to regroup after their poor performance against Magesi and return to winning ways ahead of facing SuperSport United and so they did after making light work of Matsatsantsa at home in Orlando winning 2-0.
AmaZulu on the other hand, are the total opposite of the Buccaneers and sit in last place with zero points from their opening three fixtures. Pablo Franco Martin was relieved from his position as head coach of the Durban-based club because of their poor start to the 2024/25 season.
Kaizer Chiefs legend Arthur Zwane and former Richards Bay head coach Vusumuzi Vilakazi were selected as co-head coaches to take over from Martin after he was sacked. In their first official fixture as co-head coaches of Usuthu, they faced Stellenbosch in the opening round of the Carling Knockout Cup and lost 2-1.
Speaking to the media ahead of their clash with Pirates, Zwane said on SuperSport: “We want our players to play without fear. You can’t be in the Premiership and be afraid of winning games, we can beat anyone.
“Stellenbosch, with the quality team they have, not so long ago, were playing in the final and did well.
“And we gave them a scare, so it was not a walk in the park for them. When we look at where we come from and as much as Stellenbosch beat us, they had to dig deep for them to go to the next round.”
Catching up with Pirates coach Riveiro, he added in the Citizen when asked about his team: “The group is extraordinary this season, it was always a good group but the human level that we have there in the locker room is really good.
“The players you saw against SuperSport United and those who didn’t make it to the match day squad I think we have a good atmosphere.
“Everybody is trying his best, trying to contribute to the team and we have to take care of ourselves.”
Taking away from what Riveiro has said, it shows why they are in good spirits and why they perform at a very high level. Since his arrival, everybody has bought into his philosophy which has been nothing short of spectacular and has created an environment where his players have excelled.
The Buccaneers will take on AmaZulu tonight at the Orlando Stadium with kick-off at 19:30.
Written by Marc Strydom