Unexpected News: Orlando Pirates Head Coach Jose Riveiro signed a player for $99 million and…
Orlando Pirates head coach Jose Riveiro feels that his team’s success in the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League this season depends on how soon he can adapt to continental games.
The Spanish coach made his remarks on Thursday at his team’s Johannesburg training facility, one day before the Buccaneers’ Friday night return leg game at Orlando Stadium against Djabal of Comoros.
The 1995 winners and 2013 runners-up, who led 1-0 into the game owing to a late goal from Zakhele Lepasa in the first leg, will greet the Islanders in Soweto.
In his first season as head coach, the Spaniard guided the Pirates to two cup final victories and a second-place finish in the championship. He took over for Mandla Ncikazi, who had guided the group to the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup championship game the previous two seasons.
Riveiro said that he was unfamiliar with the competition, but he said he was prepared to quickly adapt in order to help his side. He needs to now succeed to the same extent across the continent.
“It’s new to me, but I had great training before the competition.” I received a lot of knowledge from my players and coaching staff to help me mentally get ready for a competition that calls for a different strategy. “You have to be prepared to respond and adjust yourself to different conditions,” said the instructor.
Riveiro cautioned against getting too comfortable despite the team’s tiny lead heading into the second leg in Orlando, pointing out that every game demands careful preparation and that margins in modern football have decreased.
It won’t be easy. It’s a knockout game. The gain isn’t substantial enough to mark this task as finished. We have a one-goal advantage over a well-organized squad right now. They were powerful, athletic, and quite physical, and they could compete with us.
“The result will flow from our well-defined goals and the type of performance we wish to deliver. Football teams now days hardly really separate from one another. “If you’re asleep, you’re out, and this is not an exception,” said Riveiro.
