Having missed out on the opportunity of potentially lifting the inaugral Carling Knockout Cup, Orlando Pirates seem to be having a difficult time getting themselves back into form this season… Having started off their league season with a defeat in the Winelands against Stellenbosch, Pirates followed up that loss with 4 wins, 4 draws and 2 more defeats in their first 11 fixtures of the DStv Premiership campaign, in a season when many expected to see them challenge Mamelodi Sundowns for the title. As they currently sit in 9th place with only 2 games in hand over second placed Cape Town City , many wonder what the near future might look like for the Buccaneers if their form doesn’t change.
After winning and successfully defending the league curtain raiser MTN8 trophy, many thought Pirates would kick on to have a great season, but an early exit from CAF competition and a shock exit from the Carling Knockout Cup compounded the pressure on Riveiro to get league success as well as a tilt at a defence of the Nedbank Cup.
The surprising question now on everyone’s mind is ‘how safe is Riveiro’s job at Pirates?’ A thought that’s a bit harsh, considering the Spaniard has delivered three trophies within his first two years as Pirates Coach.
Since winning the MTN8 final against Sundowns, Pirates have played six league encounters which saw them win two of those fixtures, drawing three and losing one against bottom of the table side, Cape Town Spurs.
Worryingly, the form that was shown by Bucs’ number 9, Zakhele Lepasa, has evaporated with the striker only managing to score 3 goals out of the 11 goals scored thus far by the team.
In their last 13 games dating back to 17 September, Pirates have not been able to score more than 1 goal from open play, which has raised the question of a potential return for English striker coach Scott Chickelday, who was with Orlando Pirates for five weeks in the early part of the year.
Prior to Chickelday’s arrival, Pirates had one of the lowest scoring tallies in the league, but with Chickelday’s addition to the technical bench, in four games Pirates had scored 10 goals. It’s no doubt that Chickelday’s inclusion could assist the strikers find their confidence once again for the Buccaneers, but the Englishman has come out to state that no contact has been made to him by the club.
Should Pirates fail to improve their scoring form, the stream of fans we witnessed at the Orlando Stadium in the earlier stages of the season will diminish and more questions will be asked of Jose Riveiro, which puts the club in an uncomfortable position.
Having missed out on the semi-finals of the Carling Knockout Cup, Pirates had a one-week break before their must-win encounter in the original Soweto Derby against a revamped Moroka Swallows side that will be looking to stave off their first back-to-back defeats of the league season as they square off tonight at the Orlando Stadium.