Riveiro on why Pirates are in the right place ahead of cup final

Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro reveals reasons why they are in the right place ahead of his second cup final.

Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro has explained why they are in the right place, saying he is not surprised to reach the second cup final in just his debut season with the DStv Premiership side.

Riveiro believes he has set a fantastic and effective structure at Pirates and that reaching the second final in one season is the result of that proper planning.

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The Spanish manager, Riveiro will look to claim his second gold medal on Saturday when Pirates face Sekhukhune United at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in the Nedbank Cup final.

JOSE RIVEIRO SAYS PIRATES ARE IN RIGHT PLACE

The man who replaced Mandla Ncikazi and Fadlu Davids at the beginning of the current season, Riveiro says having a big and talented squad at Pirates excites him but he still has to find the right solutions.

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The Soweto giants, Pirates dethroned Mamelodi Sundowns as MTN8 champions and will look to do so to emerge as new Nedbank holders.

“Where we are is the reason we have an opportunity to fight for titles,” Riveiro during a pre-final press conference on Thursday per TimesLIVE.

“We have a fantastic structure, a big squad full of talent that allows you to dream about it, but we still have to find a way to do it.

“There’s many different ways to win in this sport and we’re trying to find our own. We’re in the right place to do this. It’s not a surprise we can be one of the teams that’s fighting for titles.

“When you start and you’re riding or driving a club like this it’s obvious you’d think about being in final games. Winning titles entails a lot of happenings during the season. Dynamics, injuries, pieces of luck, but you also need to win games.”

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RIVEIRO TALKS ABOUT HAPPINESS AS PIRATES MANAGER

Despite having failed to beat Sekhukhune this season in the league, Pirates meet Babina Noko for the first time in a cup competition.

Under Riveiro’s guidance, Pirates managed to lose 2-0 and played to a 1-all draw in the second-round tie of the league, but the coach added that he is proud to lead his troops.

He insisted that undermining coach Brandon Truter’s side will be their downfall, saying he expects a tough encounter in Tshwane.

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“We’re in the right place and it’s not a surprise to see our name in the last game of every tournament,” Riveiro added.

“I’m so happy to be part of the group that is making it possible to have a reason to be trusted by our fans. It’s been a long journey since we started, but I’m very proud to be the only team to have played every possible [domestic] game this season.

“Sekhukhune showed it a few times this season, especially when they played against the favourites. We know what’s coming and we know the amount of kilometres and runs we have to do in this game if we want to be a winning team at the end of 90 or 120 minutes.”

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