Riveiro will help Pirates challenge Sundowns: former Bucs striker Sebola
Image: Darren Stewart/Gallo Images
Former Orlando Pirates striker Andries Sebola believes the club is in safe hands with Jose Riveiro. Since joining the Buccaneers four months ago, the Spanish coach has already won a trophy.
Pirates won the MTN8 in November after defeating AmaZulu 1-0, ending a two-year drought. They won the same gong with Josef Zinnbauer in 2020.
“They said he (Riveiro) was a plumber when he arrived, but look at what he's already done within a short space of time.
“I believe this is the coach who can help Pirates challenge (Mamelodi) Sundowns for the league title this season. Pirates can also not be ruled out of winning the Nedbank Cup,” said Sebola, who played for Bucs in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Riveiro, 45, joined Pirates from FC Inter Turku in Finland. He had not won a trophy during his coaching career, which started in 2011 in Spain with Celta Vigo's youth teams.
On their way to beating AmaZulu in the MTN8, Pirates beat Sundowns 3-0 in the semifinal, in which striker Monnapule Saleng scored a brace.
Sebola urged Riveiro to be bold in his selections and continue to play attacking football with two strikers.
“He mustn't be afraid to attack because that's the best form of defence. We cannot win trophies if we're hesitant to play the kind of football we dished in that game against Sundowns in the MTN8 semifinal. That's what every Pirates fan associates Pirates with.”
The 2022-2023 DStv Premiership will resume on December 30 with a blockbuster fixture that will pit Pirates against Sundowns at Loftus in Pretoria and Sebola believes it's the match Bucs will have to win if they're to convince anyone they have what it takes to challenge for the league title.
“If you want to win the league you definitely have to beat a strong team like Sundowns, a team that has won this championship in the last five years. There's no other way for Pirates,” he said.
Pirates suffered a humiliating 4-0 loss against Sundowns in the Carling Black Label final on November 13, but Sebola insisted it was just an exhibition match which shouldn't affect Bucs against Sundowns in the coming league fixture.
“For me that's water under the bridge. It was just a friendly and we all know that the important thing is the league. As long as the coach has all his players, we should be able to compete and win against Sundowns,” he said.
Ndumiso Mabena and Craig Martin of Cape Town City have been signed to bolster Riveiro's team before the start of the second round.
Sundowns will go to the Pirates game sitting pretty on top of the log table with 28 points after 12 outings. Pirates are trailing Sundowns by nine points after 13 matches.