Orlando Pirates head coach Jose Riveiro suggested he’s at the club to improve players and help them win and not to manage emotions.
Pirates hold one of the fearsome squads in South African football at present, with the likes of Vincent Pule, Thembinkosi Lorch, Miguel Timm, Kermit Erasmus, Karim Kimvuidi and Lesedi Kapinga amongst the players who’ve yet to feature due to injury or competition.
DStv Diski Challenge graduate, Relebohile Mokfokeng, Patrick Maswanganyi and the returning loanee Zakhele Lepasa have also staked their claim with some impressive displays and naturally, there will be major decisions for the Spaniard to make.
But he denied he needs to do something special, to ‘keep players happy’ when questioned how he managed that aspect of his star-studded squad.
“I’m not here to keep them happy, I’m here to help them be a better team, to be better players together, the moment that we’re part of the group, players and coaching staff, we have to accept the rules in a way that it’s a very competitive squad,” Riveiro said.
“If you’re not a good player, you’re not going to be part of this group, It goes without saying, all of them are very important players, quality players, experienced players, international players, players with different objectives and moments in their careers.
“So we try to… or I’m desperate to make them feel part of the process as much as possible, then it’s about our capacity to be fair with them as much as possible, it’s impossible to be 100% fair.
“I have many players who deserve to be in the starting eleven tomorrow. So I have to be unfair with some of them because unfortunately, I can’t play 20 – that’s the reality, that’s the football rules – the players are smart and have to accept it.
“So I don’t… if I try to please everyone, it’s not going to work, but I hope everyone is happy or at least the moments of sadness or when they are upset are very short and it’s normal for a player who’s not playing to feel upset.”
The Spaniard who steered Pirates to the MTN8 and Nedbank Cup title in his debut season went on to explain that part of the process of a competitive squad in their professional attitude to fight for a place and help the team fulfil their objectives.
“They love to play, all of them, they love to play and all capable of playing – and I’m the person who tells them once or twice or week that ‘sorry, you’re not going to play’, so I’m not pretending to feel or think they are going to be happy, with me, that’s not the point.
“They have to be… not angry, they’re competitive so they have to show that… not that we [the coaches] are wrong but [that] they are also ready to compete and ready to play, that’s what we want. The important thing is that when they come, on to the field, they are capable, ready and they really want to play – that’s how we face it.
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“And if we manage to keep them happy in the week, it’s because they are motivated by what we do, they trust the things we do on the field – that’s the crucial part, but they are professionals, they understand where they are.
“Even during the season it’s normal to have moments where you can feel more upset or disappointed, it’s a normal thing in football.”
Pirates hold a 1-0 lead over Djabal who they face in their 2nd leg CAF Champions League preliminary round clash on Friday evening at Orlando Stadium (19h30).
