Jose Riveiro vows to end Orlando Pirates’ awful second-half record
Orlando Pirates head coach Jose Riveiro has vowed to put an end to their awful second-half record.
According to stats provided by OptaJabu, Pirates have not scored a second-half goal in any of their 15 DStv Premiership matches this season. They have extended the record they had previously set for games without a second-half goal from the start of a PSL season.
Pirates’ 10 goals in the DStv Premiership this season were scored in the first half, except for the goals scored in the MTN8.
ORLANDO PIRATES’ UNUSUAL RECORD
When asked what could be the driving force behind the trend, Riveiro said it’s an omen that needs thorough analysis.
“No, I can’t. Obviously, I can’t (explain it),” he said after the 2-1 defeat by Cape Town City.
“Not at all (it has nothing to do with fatigue). We should go deep into the analysis. It’s nice to mention that it’s a record, but we want to go deep and analyze game after game.
“The games that we didn’t score in the second half, there are many games that we didn’t need to score. We were leading, and one of the consequences sometimes was to defend a bit lower, not by purpose,” added Riveiro.
“Sometimes the opponent is one goal behind, and they need to take risks, and the level in the league is not bad. Everyone can dominate you during periods. In other games, we just couldn’t.
“We scored in the MTN games in the second half against Royal AM. We scored two times against Mamelodi Sundowns, but for some reason, in the league, it is impossible,” he said.
RIVEIRO IS CONFIDENT THE TABLES WILL TURN SOON
“We will get there. I was more worried or concerned in other games where we couldn’t create chances in the second half, and even in the first half, we had that period as well.
“Now the story is changing, we are creating chances, but we are not capitalising. The only thing we can do is to create more.”
RELATED STORY: Mike Makaab confirms arranging January transfer for Orlando Pirates attacker