Jose Riveiro makes honest Soweto Derby admission

Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro has admitted a problem his side had in the previous Soweto Derby matches that led to defeats.

Pirates finally defeated their arch-rivals for the first time this season after three attempts.

The Sea Robbers won 2-1 on Saturday afternoon in a Nedbank Cup semi-final clash at a sold-out FNB Stadium.

The previous two matches in the DStv Premiership ended in defeats. The Bucs lost with 1-0 scorlines home and away respectively.

The Nedbank victory saw the Ghost stretch their unbeaten run to 10 matches in all competitions. They are going through a good form after registering nine victories and one draw in the process.

JOSE RIVEIRO’S ADMISSION

“In the previous derbies we were not in good space. There were many things that affected us, but I cannot say it loud. It didn’t allow us to be in the condition that we like,” said Riveiro.

“I would really like those six points in our pockets. It was tough losing those games, definitely in the end of the season we need those points.

“Even though the result was cruel for us in the previous games and you come here with heavy stuff at your back. It could be an obstacle but in my opinion it was not. I didn’t see the players thinking about what happened months ago.”

RIVEIRO ON PIRATES SQUAD DEPTH

Riveiro further hailed his squad saying sometimes he has a selection headache because of the quality and experience from his players.

“I think we progressing in order to be competitive in a scenario that we were not competitive before.

“I have a fantastic squad, in terms of number, in terms of quality and in terms of experence. The difficult part is to select 20 players, select 11 players and keep that under control,” he added.

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