Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro is adamant that any member of his squad can do a job for the team after starting with Monnapule Saleng and new signing Ndabayithethwa Ndlondlo in the first leg of their MTN8 semi-final with Mamelodi Sundowns on Saturday.
The Buccaneers and the competition’s defending champions played out a goalless draw at the Orlando Stadium.
Many were surprised to see the duo in the starting line-up but Riveiro stood by his decision.
Speaking after the match, the Bucs boss said on iDiski Times: “About Saleng, one more time, I’m not going to individualise about the players.
“You can have your idea, if you take a look at our squad, you see the names, you see the capacity, the experience, the everything we have and Saleng is in the starting XI, I think it’s easy to understand how good the guy is training, performing and how much he can help us.
“I don’t believe in individual trophies and that kind of stuff.”
Riveiro added that the structure at Pirates allows new players to flourish. He explained: “I’m happy for the boy (Ndlondlo) because it’s not easy to arrive in a place like Pirates, with this level of demand – our own demand, how we demand from ourselves every day.
“When you have a better structure and good players around you can even look better. The integration was very quick and that’s why we choose him in starting XI. Like I said before the game, we choose the players that we feel will help us execute the game plan and not the players we like more, we try to take what we need.”
