Pirates coach Jose Riveiro out to test squad depth again

Pirates announced the signing of attackers Craig Martin and Ndumiso Mabena last month, and striker Souaibou Marou remains a target. 

The FIFA World Cup break has meant that the Premier Soccer League fixture schedule will be congested for clubs to play catch up. 

Riveiro got off to the worst possible resumption of the domestic matches on Friday when Pirates lost 2-0 to DStv Premiership log leaders Mamelodi Sundowns at Loftus Stadium, a result that means they’ve only registered one win from six games in the league. 

All eyes will be on the Spanish mentor to see how he turns around a poor run that has been glossed over by their MTN8 cup triumph in November and led to them slipping down to fifth place on the standings – 12 points behind Downs. 

“The schedule is what it is, there’s nothing we can do more than plan as good as possible. It’s part of our job,” Riveiro said when SABC Sport asked about facing Cape Town City, Golden Arrows, Stellenbosch FC and Marumo Gallants this month. 

He is familiar with a congested schedule after the PSL crammed fixtures before the Qatar showpiece and Pirates played seven games in November. 

“I think January is not that bad like it was in the beginning of the season in terms of games. It will give us the opportunity to train more and train better and that’s crucial for us to have days to prepare ourselves,” said Riveiro. 

“If we do well in that department we will look better in the future for sure. We are busy trying to organise the schedule as good as possible. We have a big and talented squad…it [number of matches] is not going to be an issue or an excuse.”