Riveiro praises Pirates collective effort

Orlando Pirates head coach Jose Riveiro has stressed the importance of the collective effort over any individual, even though Monnapule Saleng again raised his hand as the key man for the Buccaneers, with a hat-trick in their 4-1 demolition of Swallows FC on Friday.

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Saleng has been the standout performer for Pirates this season, and even provided the assist for the Buccaneers’ other goal against the Birds, as they bounced back from their loss to Kaizer Chiefs.

The 24 year old has 12 goals in all competitions for Pirates this season, to go with four assists, and has to be a candidate to win big at the end of season PSL awards.

“Personally I see the game as a collective, even if I get a trophy it is not for me, it is for my coaching staff,” said Riveiro.

“With individual awards, I understand the meaning and it is attractive. It always seems to be for those who score goals, it is difficult for the trophy to go to a centre back, for whatever reason.

“If one players gets a trophy I am happy for him, but it is the team that gets the benefit of the contribution. My job is to help them (the players) play good football together. But if he (Saleng) can fight as well as any other players in my team for a (individual) prize, it is also a good thing for Pirates.”

Happy Rebound

Riveiro was also delighted that Pirates rebounded from a poor performance against Chiefs.

“We are in a good moment, (but) our last match was bad. We couldn’t play for reasons we have analysed, we couldn’t be ourselves. So it was like a heavy weight during the week. Like I have said many times, if you play well and it is only the result you don’t get, that is nothing.

“Last week we didn’t play the way we were looking for. But obviously when you lose it is important as soon as possible to get a win. You don’t want two (defeats) in a row. For Pirates, the mandate is there to win every week.”