Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro has pleaded for patience as his players try to rediscover their scoring touch in the DStv Premiership amid a busy schedule.
Pirates were held to a 0-0 draw by AmaZulu in the league on Tuesday, exposing their inconsistency after back-to-back domestic Cup triumphs.
A fortnight ago, Pirates won their third successive trophy, the MTN8, under Riveiro before progressing to the Carling Knockout quarter-finals last Friday.
But while they are Cup specialists, they have struggled in the league as they are in 13th position on the standings with only eight points, 16 behind leaders Mamelodi Sundowns, who have two games in hand.
Despite their shortcomings in the league, Riveiro has claimed that they still want to knock perennial champions Sundowns off their perch this season.
Those aspirations have been laughed off by opposition fans, while “The Ghost” are starting to cast their eyes on the remaining Cup competitions, given Sundowns’ dominance.
Speaking after his team’s draw with AmaZulu, Riveiro still put on a brave face in front of the media about their chances of closing the gap on Sundowns. “Are we going to do our analysis in the league after six games? Be patient – there’s still a long way to go,” Riveiro said.
“Yes, we collected one point. But we can always be positive. It’s one point, and it’s going to help us to continue (our fight to climb up the log).
“We know that this wasn’t supposed to be a goalless draw. But this is football, and such things can happen.
“We just need to avoid that from happening frequently. We are not happy with the result, that goes without saying. But what if we scored one chance?”
But with matches coming thick and fast, there is no time for Pirates to think ahead or miss chances if they are to win the title for the first time in more than a decade.
And that’s why they will have to be clinical in front of goal against Polokwane City today at Orlando Stadium if they are to end a two-game winless and goalless run in the league. “Is it a fair result? I don’t think so.
“It is what it is. I don’t like to cry about what is fair and what isn’t in football,” Riveiro said after his team’s draw with AmaZulu.
“We are doing a lot of things very well. Putting the ball in the back of the net is a crucial thing in the game that we need to do better as a team.
“We had a very good period early in the season where we capitalised easily on what we created, but now we are going through a different period in that sense.”
Pirates’ struggles in front of goal started after Zakhele Lepasa’s form dropped, after the striker started like a house on fire by scoring 10 goals in his first eight matches this season.
But apart from struggles in certain departments, Riveiro believes that the busy run of fixtures schedule hasn’t made things easier for them too. They played their last two games in the space of three days.
“The game in the end is also conditioned by the schedule that all of us in the league have,” said Riveiro as his team had to travel to Durban after their Carling Knockout fixture.
@MihlaliBaleka