Sergio Almenara during the DStv Premiership match between Orlando Pirates and Maritzburg United at Orlando Stadium last Friday . (Photo by Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images)
Orlando Pirates assistant coach Sergio Almenara says the use of technology has helped them to communicate with head coach Jose Riveiro, who is out on a two-match suspension.
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Riveiro was sent off during the Buccaneers’ Nedbank Cup encounter with All Stars, where the Soweto giants were able to register a 2-0 victory against the Motsepe Foundation Championship (MFC) side.
The Buccaneers had Almenara and Mandla Ncikazi on the bench, but they still managed to steer themselves to a 2-1 DStv Premiership win over Maritzburg United on Friday.
Almenara says there was plenty of work that was done by the coaches during training.
“Coaches make a bigger impact during the week at training. During the game we try to impact as much as we can. The half-time break is also key but today [Friday], with the use of technology, we were able to connect with him (Riveiro).”
The coach was also careful about singling out Monnapule Saleng for praise, though he has been a key player for Pirates in their recent good run.
“Saleng and all the other players are all pushing for a starting position. For us all the players are important, especially for the way we’re playing.”
The victory against Maritzburg was crucial for Bucs, with the club heading into the Soweto derby against Kaizer Chiefs at the FNB Stadium on Saturday.
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Almenara added that they had gone into the clash with the Team of Choice with their minds solely on that game and not thinking about anything else.
“We tried to make sure it (the game against Chiefs) doesn’t affect us at all. That was our target (to win against Maritzburg). That cannot be in the mind of every player in the squad, but obviously what we were trying to do was focus on the opponents we have,” he said.
“We can’t control certain things, but what we can control is the message and all the guidance we’re providing throughout the week. What we did here this week was nothing related to the Chiefs game.”
The Buccaneers are now third on the log and a second-place finish is seeming plausible.
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