‘That’s my advice to Jose Riveiro about Champions League’: Lekgwathi
With Orlando Pirates set to return to the CAF Champions League this upcoming season, club legend Lucky Lekgwathi has offered advice to coach Jose Riveiro.
Lekgwathi, who was the leader of a team that won double treble in the 2010/11 season and 2011/12 season, was also part of the side that reached the Champions League final in 2013.
The Sea Robbers came close to adding a second star to their badge. However, they fell short to Egyptian giants Al Ahly in the two-legged final.
Last season, Orlando Pirates suffered a shocking early exit from the CAF Champions League after a surprise defeat to Jwaneng Galaxy in the second preliminary round.
Lekgwathi believes this setback stemmed from fielding players who weren’t regular starters in the first leg, putting undue pressure on the team to bounce back in the second round, which ultimately proved unsuccessful.
He has advised Riveiro to deploy his strongest team right from the start of the competition, particularly in the first legs to allow the team to establish a comfortable lead and potentially secure qualification in the second round.
LUCKY LEKGWATHI – WHAT JOSE RIVEIRO MUST DO IN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
“We lost because we played a B team but if you can play regular players away and coming back home, you know that you’re leading 3, 4 and you can play guys that are not regulars,” said Lekgwathi during the interview with FARPost.
“But the mistake they made was going there and not play the regular players. It was a learning curve for them.
“I played the Champions League, I reached the semifinal, I reached the final. So, yeah, when you play away, make sure you play your regular players.
“That’s my two cents advice to Orlando Pirates coach that when you play away, play your regulars, play your strong team.
“You win, score many goals and then when you come back home it will be easy.”
He went on to say Ezimnyama should take lessons from Mamelodi Sundowns, who have established themselves as African giants.
‘WE MUST SWALLOW PRIDE AND LEARN FROM SUNDOWNS’
“When Pitso was still at Sundowns, he said you must learn from Pirates how did they do when they were in Champions League and still playing the league and cup competitions,” he added.
“Now, it’s our turn to go back and learn from Mamelodi Sundowns. They learnt from us and now we must swallow our pride and learn from them.
“But the good thing is we have depth, the players that can challenge for everything.
“Yes, they went there, they failed, playing a team from Botswana and it was a learning curve.”
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