Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro has told off doubters who have been criticizing the Buccaneers for failing to match defending Premier Soccer league champions Mamelodi Sundowns in terms of consistency.
Both teams started the season well, winning the initial games and a good number of the fans believed Bucs have what it takes to stop Masandawana from winning their eighth PSL crown in a row.
However, the Soweto giants have struggled to sustain their good start, and are currently 18 points behind the leaders who have played four games more. Pirates have been on the receiving end from critics and the Spaniard feels it is unfair.
“You don't need to speak bad about Pirates to speak well about Mamelodi Sundowns. I think it's a mistake that you are making all the time and it's not fair. We are competing so well, maybe other teams are not doing the same than us and that's why the league couldn't be more equal but it’s not because of Pirates,” he stated as quoted by SABC Sport.
‘Obviously, Sundowns are good' – Riveiro
“They have a lot of points for a reason. If they continue collecting points at the same level, I think they're going over 80 points this season, so you don't need to ask if they're good or not, it's obvious they are good in terms of points,” he continued.
“They are performing at a level that I think is new for everyone in terms of points. If we are breaking club records this season, it means that we're also performing so good. We know the numbers, we know where we are, we know how we're performing, we know why we couldn't get three points in our last game and we're trying to run our race not looking to anybody else.
“We just want to be ourselves and if being ourselves is enough at the end of the season to be the champion, we will celebrate it and if it's not, it's because somebody else is doing better than you and it doesn't mean that we're not doing well,” Riveiro concluded.
On Sunday, Bucs host Sundowns at the FNB Stadium; the initial meeting ended 4-1 in favour of the latter.
