Riveiro unfazed despite Bucs shooting blanks

Orlando Pirates' rapid decline isn't a cause for concern for coach Jose Riveiro.

Pirates' goalless draw against 10-man Richards Bay in a league game at Orlando Pirates at the weekend was their third straight game without scoring a goal, having lost 0-2 away to Sekhukhune United four days earlier. Riveiro isn't fazed, feeling it's too early to worry. The Sea Robbers mentor takes solace in the fact that they have been capable of avoiding leaking goals in some of their recent games.

"It's just the beginning. It's going to be a tough season for everyone, however our motivation and morale are still intact. It's a tough competition... you can see how difficult it is to win. It's difficult to even score a goal, no one is getting easy victories. We're in the first round of the season and October is going to be long for every team but I am sure we will finish the month having closed the gap between us and the top teams, the gap isn't even big,'' Riveiro said.

"The fact that we are a very competitive team in every phase of the game makes me happy. We're a team with a capacity to defend well, keeping clean sheets. We're a difficult team to deal with in transition and all of those things make me feel very positive. I am a super optimistic person and I am sure that our breakthrough is coming soon. What we can't do is to win two games in a row and think we're going to destroy everyone."

Bay played the entire second half a man down after Siyanda Msani was shown a straight red for a nasty challenge on Olisa Ndah. Riveiro implied their bluntness upfront is the reason they have regressed of late. Pirates host AmaZulu in another league tie at Orlando Stadium on Friday (7.30pm).

"The teams are going through different moments during the season and we are no different. We are now in a situation where we are still having problems to capitalise on the chances we make in our offensive phase and that's what keeps us far from the possibility of getting three points,'' Riveiro said.