Jose Riveiro reflects on his first season as Pirates coach
Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro refuses to take credit for the club’s achievements during the past season.
Riveiro won his second trophy in his first season when the Buccaneers beat Sekhukhune United in the Nedbank Cup final on Saturday. After finishing second in the DStv Premiership, the club qualified for the CAF Champions League.
The Spaniard has also been credited for the brand of football that the Soweto giants have displayed throughout the season.
JOSE RIVEIRO CREDITS TEAMWORK
Speaking to journalists after the 2-1 win against Babina Noko on Saturday, Riveiro also thanked his support staff and players for what he said was teamwork.
“You are giving me too much importance. We did it [together]; we have a fantastic group and resources,” he said.
“Probably a bit more popular in the streets after 10 or 11 months here. But we are a team, and I will always emphasise this here because it’s going to help us to be what we want in the future. Thank you to my players one more time, and thank you to the coaching staff.”
ORLANDO PIRATES SEASON IN DETAIL
“We finished today with 39 official games with exactly 223 training sessions in 11 months. So it’s not by chance, and it’s not because of me. We are committed because we try to do our best. We have bad days, we have better days, but we are competitive, and we are going to do more.”
WE DESERVE IT
“We are going to celebrate now straight after because we really deserve it. Emotionally it has been tough this season for many reasons. It’s not easy to do what you like and what you love in a different context like it for me to be here.
“The learning process was difficult. Things were not easy from the start, so I’m looking forward to the rest. But it’s not going to be too long. It’s going to be long for the players because they deserve it. But for us as technical staff, we have to start working for the next season.”
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