On Thursday, Orlando Pirates head coach, Jose Riveiro, spoke to
journalists about the importance of squad management as the team faces a
busy schedule. Having advanced to the quarter-finals of the Carling
Knockout after defeating Cape Town Spurs on Friday, Pirates are back in
action tomorrow against AmaZulu at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in the
league. This will be followed by another match on Friday against Polokwane
City in Orlando.
Riveiro noted the challenge of managing the players as games have been
coming thick and fast for the team. “We play Tuesday then we travel back
on Wednesday, and we play Friday (against) Polokwane City then we have
again the same routine. We need to keep an eye on the players because they
are humans, and they feel the pain and they feel the fatigue and we have
to monitor them as good as possible. There is also the issue of the yellow
cards that we also need to manage as good as possible,” he said.
Pirates have been playing catch up after some of their matches were
rescheduled when the team was involved in the CAF Champions League earlier
in the season. With the team’s busy schedule, Riveiro is focused on
managing the players to ensure their wellbeing and performance.
