Mamelodi Sundowns coach Rulani Mokwena has highlighted FOUR notable improvements that Orlando Pirates have made under Jose Riveiro this season.
The Spaniard is in his second season with the Buccaneers, having done reasonably well in his maiden season.
Riveiro won the MTN8 and the Nedbank Cup in his first season with the Soweto giants. Pirates have taken a few strides this season, and Mokwena notes four notable improvements.
The two rivals meet at the Orlando Stadium [19h30] in a potentially explosive DStv Premiership encounter on Wednesday.
“There’s a big coaching improvement. You can see it…,” Mokwena said.
MORE BALL POSSESSION
Orlando Pirates have also been much more dominant in their games this season. They have controlled possession in most of their games, and they have created a lot of chances for their attackers.
“What profiles their playing system is that they average 60% ball possession, which means, compared to last season, they keep more of the ball this season,” Mokwena said.
ATTACKING POTENCY
Orlando Pirates have scored 18 goals in their opening nine matches, which is a good return. They have also created a lot of other chances, which suggests that they are capable of scoring even more goals in the future.
Riveiro vowed to end their awful ‘second-half record’ in January this year. The Buccaneers did not score a second-half goal in their first 15 2022/23 DStv Premiership matches. Halfway through last season, they had only managed to score 10 goals.
“They’ve played nine, won six, two losses and one draw. And they’ve scored 18 goals, with Zakhele Lepasa scoring 10 of those and, of course, moving into that space of being the first Pirates player to score 10 goals as quickly as he has. They’ve conceded six, but that’s not just the data that’s the most important. That’s the data that profiles their form.”
PLAY FASTER
The Downs mentor further notes that Riveiro’s Bucs play faster than they did last season.
“They do play faster, where they average about 20 seconds per possession spell,” he said.
However, he went on to reveal that Sundowns play a bit more quicker than their opponents on Wednesday.
“Ours is a bit more because we play a little bit in moments, and we have a different way of playing.”
CREATE FROM CROSSES
According to Mokwena’s analysis, his former club, Pirates, create a lot from crosses. The Buccaneers average nine crosses per match.
“They do create a lot of situations from crosses, averaging nine crosses per match. “They create about 13 chances per match. They’ve got an xG of 1.7 per match. So, already you can profile and see where the team is from an offensive perspective.”
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