Orlando Pirates head coach Jose Riveiro has outlined the club’s goals for the remainder of the season in 2023.
The Soweto giants returned to DStv Premiership action on Friday against Mamelodi Sundowns in Pretoria.
Coming into this game, the Buccaneers were on 19 points in 13 games after losing to their bitter reveals, Kaizer Chiefs, just before the FIFA World Cup break.
However, Pirates could not change their fortunes against Sundowns as they could not pick up points, suffering a 2-0 defeat in Pretoria.
For Pirates mentor, Riveiro this is not the ideal situation he would like his team to be in.
Riveiro revealed the amount of points they would have liked to have had coming into the Sundowns game.
JOSE RIVEIRO ON IDEAL LEAGUE POINTS FOR HIS TEAM
“I would like to come here with 26 points to play Sundowns. Or with 27 or 30, not with 19,” he said.
“And you know, see what happened, this game is not going to make a difference at the end of the season about the opposition on the table.
“That’s why the league is so important because you have to play well, but then you have to go to Cape Town, take the three points, you have to go to Polokwane and compete and take the three points.
“And you have to play at home against Chippa United, and you have to take the three points, that’s what I mean.”
RIVEIRO OPTIMISM ABOUT PIRATES’ SEASON
Riveiro also believes that getting three points away at Sundowns would have closed gap between themselves and the Tshwane side.
But he remains optimistic about the rest of the season for his side.
“I would like to face one day these games, you know, closer to our opponents,” he added.
“Obviously get the three points tonight, it means to be close or a bit close to them, six point difference with one game less or one more game more than Sundowns.
“We couldn’t, so now is a bit difference but the season is still very long, this is only game number 14.”
“So still a lot of points to play for and we are Orlando Pirates, so we will continue until the end,” concluded the Pirates head coach.
Pirates will continue their hunt for three points away to Cape Town City next week on the 7th of January.
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