Orlando Pirates go into Friday’s African Champions League tie against Botswana’s Jwaneng Galaxy on the back of three successive defeats, but coach Jose Riveiro insists that is not necessarily a bad thing.
“We are coming from difficult results to accept in the last three games, but we’ve had to compete in three different competitions,” he said in a reference to Pirates’ loss to Galaxy in the first leg of their Champions League second round tie, plus the 1-0 home defeat by Mamelodi Sundowns in the DStv Premiership and then to Stellenbosch in the second leg of their MTN8 semifinal.
“Fortunately, in the last one, the result was enough to go to a final. We should not forget that. Orlando Pirates is going to be in one more final even though we lost the last game.
“Sometimes those results are convenient during the process to understand that when you are not at your best or when you don't have the proper mindset, you can easily look a different team and that's not what we want to be.”
Riveiro said Friday’s game at the Orlando Stadium, where Pirates must claw back a one-goal deficit, had more on the line than just the result.
“We have the opportunity to forget the last game as soon as possible with a good result, with a good performance, with a convincing performance.
“In front of our fans last time (against Sundowns), we played with the full crowd and we didn't offer the show that they deserve. Now,we really want to do it, the players are really committed to do it. And that will be the main change in our mindset, our mentality to face the game against Galaxy.
“The players know how important this is for us, as a group, for the club for our fans,” he added.
THE FUTURE IS ALL THAT MATTERS
Riveiro said the past performance did not matter, the future was all that counted.
“It's about us to perform at our best in a home game against a good team, against an opponent who is leading already 1-0.
“It is a challenge, but we love challenges and this one is an opportunity to prove that even in difficult circumstances, we can make it, we can we can be our best version.
“The games that we already played in the competition are not going to be played tomorrow. What happened in Botswana is in the past and now we have the opportunity to write an important page in the club history, for our future.
“The players really want to go to that competition (Champions League) and test themselves against the best teams in the continent. So if we don't get the result that we are wishing for, it is not because we are not going to try everything.
“It's going to be difficult for us but it's going to be even more difficult for the opponent for sure,” added the coach.