Jose Rivero talks about his set-piece woes

Africa 01 May 2025 at 16:23

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Jose Rivero

Jose Rivero recently spoke about his side's defensive woes, especially at set-pieces.

What is Orlando Pirates' problem with set-pieces?

All sports followers and specialists know how important it is for a team to be solid offensively and defensively at set-pieces, as this is a very important part of the footballing world.

Spanish coach Jose Rivero admitted that his side have a big problem in this regard and that they will have to solve it before the end of the season to avoid getting into critical situations, especially in important games.

Orlando Pirates are preparing to face Kaizer Chiefs in two important matches for the remainder of the season, one in the Betway Premiership and the other in the Nedbank Cup final on Saturday 10 May.

Having conceded four goals from this point, Soweto Giants will have to improve this point significantly.

Important matches and consecutive losses due to the same weakness

Orlando Pirates’ recent form has taken a hit after two disappointing losses. Last week, they fell 3-2 to Pyramids FC in Cairo during the CAF Champions League semi-final second leg, with two of the goals conceded coming from set-piece situations. Their struggles continued on Wednesday, suffering a narrow 1-0 defeat against Sekhukhune United at Orlando Stadium—the winning goal once again originating from a corner.

These setbacks have dealt a major blow to the Buccaneers’ league title ambitions. Sitting in second place, they now find themselves a staggering 12 points behind leaders Mamelodi Sundowns, who extended their dominance with a convincing 3-0 win over Richards Bay FC on the same night. With the gap widening, Pirates’ chances of catching Sundowns appear increasingly slim.

What did Jose Rivero say?

Talking about the main issue with set-pieces, the Spanish coach said:

Obviously, set-pieces are an element that we need to work on and we are doing that, We are trying to get better and minimise our deficiencies in those situations, like every other team. I think during the whole season we were quite solid and dominating those situations, but it is true that for whatever reasons in the last games we are suffering a little bit more, and sometimes the opponent is more accurate. But I think it is something we are hands-on every week, and it is not or shouldn’t be something to panic about; we will get it right.