Pirates coach defends selection choice after cup exit

Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro defended his decision to make multiple changes for their Carling Knockout first round tie against Magesi as a much-changed side lost to Magesi just a fortnight after taking the MTN8.

The Pirates coach made six changes to the starting line-up that beat Stellenbosch to lift silverware at the start of the month and the new-look Bucaneers found themselves three goals down at half-time in a shock reversal of fortune against the rookies at the Orlando Stadium on Saturday.

Although Pirates fought back to almost equalise and take the game to extra time, elimination in the first round of the Carling Knockout brought inevitable questions about changing a winning line-up.

But the Spanish insisted no one of fringe players used was to blame for the loss.

“We have a big, big squad full of talent. We are all responsible of not being in the next round … the coach, the players, the senior players, more than the other ones,” he said.

“So, we have to share that responsibility together. As coaches we used to sit here and say, ‘I'm the main responsible’. And it's true, we are. We always have the biggest responsibility when things are not working. It was the same way two weeks ago, we were sharing and celebrating together. For this result …  disappointing result … we must accept it together, not one individual or two, and make it ours, because it's ours.”

On the game Riveiro felt with a little fortunate, Pirates might well have extended their winning run to a record eight games in a row, but they were always up against it after going 3-0 down at half-time.

“You go to the halftime, it's 3-0 down, you are in Orlando, and you know people are still waiting for you, you have to go outside and show that you have the character, the capacity and the personality to go and fight for the result. And they did it. We hit the post three times in the second half. If we manage to score one or two goals early in the game, probably the result was going to be different, but it's not so. We have to take this game and this defeat to keep growing as a team. It's the moment to stay together, to be united,” Riveiro insisted.