Orlando Pirates head coach Jose Riveiro says the technique of footballers at the club and in the DStv Premiership, in general, has impressed him.
The Spaniard who’s been lauded for his positivity and entertaining training sessions amongst the Pirates players has brought a new style of play to the club this season.
While there’s been a lack of goals so far, the 2-0 win over TS Galaxy on Saturday seemingly appeased the passionate supporters in attendance at Orlando.
And when asked about how he feels about the standard of the squad and whether or not they have been able to see out his instructions, Riveiro was clear in his response.
“The level of the players I said many times, it was a good positive surprise for me, the technical level of the squad is amazing,” he said.
“In general, the league, in terms of individual technique is super high. So that makes everything much easier, we play with [our] feet, it’s not easy to play football. But when you have quality [players] and capacity to execute what we ask – everything is easier.
“In the end, we play the football that the players allowed us to play, it’s not the football I want to play – if they don’t have the capacity we’re not going to make it. So I’m lucky to have these types of players.
“I have the chance to enjoy my profession every morning with them, not only in the competitions, that’s something very nice. It was not difficult, or at least that’s what I’d like to think, it wasn’t difficult for them to adapt to our ideas.
“We tried to create an environment where the players feel comfortable and motivated to train and play football – so they like to play and we try to play almost every day. That’s maybe the key, it’s not difficult to follow that.”
Pirates now have an extended break with the FIFA international break coming up and will face Mamelodi Sundowns next in the first leg of the MTN8 final on October 1.
