Jose Riveiro identifies 3 Sundowns traits Pirates MUST emulate to win the league
Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro has provided a candid assessment of what his team needs to do to end Mamelodi Sundowns’ dominance in the league.
Riveiro just completed his second season in the DStv Premiership, capping it off with Nedbank Cup glory.
Coincidentally, Pirates beat Sundowns 2-1 in the final to lift their second trophy of the season. They had also won the MTN8 Cup earlier, piping the Brazilians to it.
It brings the Spaniard’s trophy haul to four since he came to South Africa. However, league title success has eluded him, finishing second – a distant 23 points behind Masandawana, who were lifting their seventh successive title.
In a recent interview with Robert Marawa, Riveiro pinpointed three key attributes that have made Sundowns so successful, suggesting that Pirates must emulate these traits to become champions.
WHAT ARE THE THREE TRAITS ORLANDO PIRATES MUST EMULATE
1. RUTHLESS CONSISTENCY:
Riveiro emphasised Sundowns’ unwavering consistency throughout the season. Downs almost finished the entire season without a loss, only succumbing to a 1-0 defeat against Cape Town City FC in the last league game of the season.
The Buccaneers lost their opening match against Stellenbosch, and by round 11 of the season, they had lost thrice. Sundowns, on the other hand, dropped points for the first time in December after 14 rounds. They played a goalless draw against City.
“I think to be the best team after 30 games, you need to have that consistency, understanding that the team dominating the league is setting high standards in terms of points season after season.
It’s a question of, in my opinion, we get more mature, I’m talking about players and staff…. That maturity to accept the challenge every three days and not just sometimes. That’s the difference for me between a team that can really think about being the league championship or not.”
2. WINNING MENTALITY:
Riveiro pointed to a relentless winning mentality as a significant factor in league success. “Everything else is there. The talent, the opportunity, the resources.
Everything is in place. It’s about us, as a group, to create that culture. That mentality to accept the challenge every two or three days no matter where, no matter who. No matter the circumstances, we will get the results. We’re in the process of making that possible. Unfortunately, this season, we were not always good enough; sometimes, we were not lucky.”
3. SOLID START:
He admitted that the gap became too big early in the first three months of the season. Sundowns’ consistency saw their rivals, Pirates, slip further behind early in the season.
“The distance got too big early in the first three, four months of the competition. From that moment, I don’t want to say we gave up because it’s too much …. We realised early this season that it’s gonna be difficult, understanding again that the team dominating is showing that they are not dropping many points.”
Jose Riveiro believes that if Pirates can cultivate these three attributes, they will be well on their way to challenging Sundowns’ supremacy and securing the league title.
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