Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro has explained why he believes they can still catch up with runaway log leaders Mamelodi Sundowns in the Betway Premiership title race.
As things stand, the Buccaneers’ mission to topple a Masandawana side they host this weekend has looked more and more insurmountable after each game played.
Pirates trail Sundowns by 18 points as the leaders have garnered 58 points from 22 matches.
Though Pirates have four games in hand, their performance on the field and recent failure to win against Stellenbosch FC, Marumo Gallants and Sundowns cast further doubts on their capabilities.
Speaking to media ahead of Sunday’s meeting with the leaders, Riveiro insisted the race is not over yet.
The Spanish-born mentor, who is looking to win the league title for the first time since his arrival in South Africa in 2022, said having a squad capable of wrestling Downs for the title is the reason he hasn’t thrown in the towel.
READ: How Orlando Pirates are letting the league title slip away, through the cracks of their own making
“First of all, my players, knowing what they are capable of doing. Knowing how they are willing to compete. How hungry they are, and our capacity as the technical staff as well as to try helping them achieve what they want to achieve,” Riveiro said.
“There’s nothing around us that can make me feel anything else than being positive and optimistic.
“If you have a look at our performances so far, in every competition, we are one of the best teams in Pirates’ history.
“It’s up to you if you want to look in the same direction, with the same perspective, but that’s the way we look at our situation right now,” he said.
“It’s something that nobody can discuss. The numbers are there, the performances are there. So, why should I look at the challenge in (another) direction?”
Riveiro recently became the longest serving Pirates coach in the Premier Soccer League history after Ruud Krol.
While Riveiro has won five trophies during his stint, the league title separates the two as the Dutchman, Krol, who won in the 2010/11 season.
The Spaniard remains optimistic to add the league title before his three-year deal with Pirates lapses at the end of the season.
“We have to be positive because we have reasons to be positive. Not because I’m trying to motivate my people, it’s a fact. It depends how you want to put it, but it’s just a fact,” Riveiro said.
“You can also have a look at the games we play in the league and the games that our opponent or the team that is on the top of the league has played already. The log is unreal, and anything is still possible, and it is in our hands.
“We have to perform at the level that the challenge requires, but there are still a lot of things still to be said.”
The Sunday game will take place at FNB Stadium at 15:30.
