Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro insists it is not his sole mandate to end Mamelodi Sundowns' dominance in the Premier Soccer League.
Masandawana have been unstoppable in the last seven seasons, with Bucs finishing second in the last two campaigns.
The Sea Robbers have been tipped to stage a stiff challenge this season owing to the quality and consistency within their squad. However, the Spaniard has a different way of thinking.
It is not Pirates' responsibility to stop Sundowns
“It is our third season together [and] we know how difficult it is to finish at the top in a league dominated by one team for the last seven years,” the Spaniard told the media.
“So, it’s everyone’s responsibility in the competition, in my opinion, to make the league more competitive, to have more teams fighting for the title. That’s what I think will happen; we have much better sides this season, better squads. The competition looks more balanced.
“In our case, we want to finish better than last time, in terms of the football we want to play, and the points we want to collect.”
How will Bucs cope with many competitions coming?
The Buccaneers tactician has appreciated the support of the fans which has seen players pushing harder for positive results.
“It’s a privilege for us to have the fan base we have. Seeing them recently coming to stadiums in huge numbers makes a difference because they are in a good space with the team right now. If we can manage to keep them close to us for the whole season, we will benefit for sure.”
Pirates are currently in the MTN8 final, second preliminary round of the Caf Champions League, Premier Soccer League, Nedbank Cup and Carling Knockout. How will they cope?
“Forty-two [players], what do you think? We don’t have problems in terms of numbers, and we don’t have problems in terms of quality in the squad,” Riveiro added.
“We have more than enough players. We will, indeed, play a lot of games, but it’s the same thing all over the world; big teams are playing many games.”
