Riveiro can't afford to faulter in the league going forward

They always say, ‘a third time is a lucky charm’. But such are the uncertain times of Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro the adage might not become a reality.

Riveiro is in his third and final season of his contract. As such, expectations were rife for him to take the club to the top of SA football.

The doors also seemed to be wide open for him as his team was stable whereas the champions of the land Mamelodi Sundowns went through coaching changes.

Sundowns sacked coaches Rulani Mokwena and Manqoba Mngqithi in a space of five months, appointing Miguel Cardoso late last year.

However, the Portugal born coach has become an instant fit at the Chloorkop based club, guiding the team to the top of the standings with a 16-point lead so far.

Pirates could still trim that gap to just four points if they win all their games in hand which had to be postponed due to unforeseen and foreseen circumstances.

However, such has been the tough times for the club recently, their future is starting to look bleak – Pirates are struggling all round, defensively and up front.

They’ve only scored one goal in the Betway Premiership in the last two games as they lost to Marumo Gallants 2-0 before beating Chippa United 1-0.

The fact that they are conceding while struggling up front means that they are lacking balance, something that’s crucial during crunch time in the league.

Riveiro has maintained that all is still on track – they could win a quadruple as they are still in the title race and the CAF Champions League and Nedbank Cup quarter-finals.

But what will happen when they bottle everything as football often shows that it’s fickle at the top? Well, that remains a mystery – at least for now.

However, such are the demands that come with coaching the club everyone must know there’s no excuse in the results column – coaches must deliver on the mandate or walk the plank.

Rewind back to 2011. Pirates incredibly let go of Ruud Krool in his third season just after he won his first trophies and treble – the MTN8, Telkom Knockout and Absa Premiership.

The Sea Robbers’ hierarchy seemed to have seen enough of the Dutchman that rewarding him with a new deal – albeit his successes – still didn’t make sense.

And so, given that it’s the pride of every team to win the championship of their land following a gruelling marathon, what were the five trophies which Riveiro has won so far?

That’s for the management of the club to decide – again. But the Spaniard must know that he’s running the risk of not being retained if he doesn’t win the title.

Of course, he could still make his argument if he takes the team back to the top of African football for the first time in 30 years or makes a case of the number of youngsters he’s promoted from the reserves.

And that could work to his advantage as Pirates might be sceptical of starting from all over again as coaches often come with their demands and philosophy.

But Riveiro must be smart enough to know that he can’t leave things until the 11th hour. He must hope that Sundowns drop points and win their games in the process.

The good thing for Pirates is that they could send a strong message that they won’t give up without a fight by beating Sundowns when they visit them next Sunday at the Calabash.