The urge to want to improve and leave the jersey in a better place than they found it is the fuel that’s driving the Orlando Pirates players, says coach Jose Riveiro.
Pirates were the second best team in the land in the last two seasons after winning four trophies and finishing second in the Premiership.
But the Sea Robbers seem to be hellbent to cruise to the pinnacle of local and continental football this season by winning both the league and Caf Champions League.
They’ve done impressively well in both competitions as they are six points behind log leaders Mamelodi Sundowns on home soil and have a game in hand.
They’ve been soaring in Africa as well as they are in the quarter-final following an impressive top-place finish in Group C after a six-game unbeaten run.
Pirates Seal Famous Victory in Cairo
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They are not leaving any stone unturned in domestic cup competitions as well. Having defended the MTN8 cup, they are now eyeing to defend the Nedbank Cup as well.
Pirates will begin with their Ke Yona Cup defence away to Richards Bay at the King Zwelithini Stadium in Umlazi tomorrow afternoon at 3pm.
“I think we have a group of players who want to improve. It’s about ambition, and wanting to improve the history of the club,” he said.
“We understand that when we do this as a collective, we all benefit individually – the players, coaches and everyone that’s involved.
“We are getting a lot of support from the club, and our supporters, which is something that is very important. It’s helping us to keep on going.
“We have a tight schedule. We don’t know the meaning of a training session anymore, it’s all playing, recovery and travelling. And going again, which is not the best.
“But it is what it is. I think with all those things combined is what we are making up to perform at a good level so far. But we need to try to improve and challenge ourselves.”
Pirates need to continue to improve. They won’t have it easy against the Natal Rich Boyz who eliminated them from the Carling Knockout last season.
“If you stop in the space where you are right now, it’s not going to happen anymore. We need to move forward, not feeling that we managed to get good results in recent games,” Riveiro said.
“In the next game against Richards Bay, we are starting at 0-0 again. Trust me, they want to improve in front of us, take that game and beat us.
“So, we need to start from zero and understand that it’s going to be a difficult task. We need to use all the experience we got in the recent games, and make sure that we can be a better team again.”
Pirates are already a better team. Riveiro hasn’t shied away from throwing youngsters in the end as they’ve managed to swim with the sharks instead of drowning.
The Spaniard showed that he has nerves of steel by handing Siyabonga Ndlozi, 22, his debut against Al Ahly away from home in Cairo.
Riveiro, though, argues that Ndlozi was ready for the match. Hence, they didn’t think twice about giving him his debut in a very hostile environment.
“It’s a calculated risk because one day you’ll take someone to the starting lineup and they’ll not be performing for whatever reason,” Riveiro said.
“The players who are playing for Pirates are good enough and ready. It won’t be the last time that we are playing someone for the first time. Hopefully, it will still work for them.
“They know what it means to play for Pirates, the pressure that comes with the job and the amount of people who expect you to do well and be brilliant even in your first game.”