Jose Riveiro appeals to Orlando Pirates fans to judge Zakhele Lepasa fairly

This was Pirates head coach Jose Riveiro’s response when asked about the Pirates fans’ strained relationship with Lepasa, particularly when he finds it difficult to score goals. 

The Bucs youth product has returned on loan from SuperSport United and started the new season with a bang – scoring five goals in only three matches so far. 

"Never forget all the other things the players are doing on the field, apart from scoring goals, because it's not fair [to judge on goals alone]," argued Riveiro.

"There are other players in other positions who will be in similar scenarios and will miss goals, but it seems that it doesn't matter.

"If he's a midfielder or a number-10 and he misses a goal, 'unlucky.' But when it's a striker, for them, we are a bit more aggressive with them because it seems they have to put [the ball in the net], and it's not like that.

"Everybody must contribute in scoring goals, defending, stopping transitions, etc. For example, when you see the striker running to the goalkeeper and stopping one transition, he's key, but nobody cares about that, and for the team it's crucial.

"So, let's try to have the whole picture always, not only a small thing that we can criticise a player because he missed a pass or missed one goal, there's much more than that."