Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro says the need to change the history of the club is the main reason his team have massively improved this season.
Pirates have made it to the CAF Champions League quarter-final for the first time since 2013, having topped their group, which had record 12-time winners and defending champions Al Ahly, and they did it without losing a match.
Besides that, the Buccaneers are also in the PSL title race, sitting in second position, six points behind Mamelodi Sundowns, but with a game in hand, while they already have a trophy in the bag, after winning the MTN8 last October.
The Spanish mentor says challenging on multiple fronts has been tough on him and the squad mentally and physically but are motivated by the need to write a new chapter of history.
Why have Pirates been so good?
“It is about ambition, it is about still wanting to improve in the history of the club, understanding that when we do this as a collective, we all get the benefit as individuals, the players, coaches and everybody involved,” Riveiro told the media ahead of his team’s Nedbank Cup meeting against Richards Bay on Sunday.
“We are receiving a lot of support from the club and the fans which is very important and it is helping us to keep going even though we have a tight schedule and we don’t know the meaning of training sessions anymore.
“It is all about playing, recovery and travelling and going again which is not the best.”
Pirates will begin their defence of their Nedbank Cup when they visit Richards Bay at the King Zwelithini Stadium on Sunday and have had some time to rest after seeing their PSL match against Royal AM, initially slated for Thursday, cancelled.
