Former Kaizer Chiefs winger Junior Khanye has made a bold prediction on how far Orlando Pirates will go in the CAF Champions League, going on to question Jose Riveiro's approach to matches.
Bucs have made it into the group stages of the Champions League for the first time in five years following their 3-0 aggregate win over minnows Jwaneng Galaxy FC of Botswana in the second preliminary round.
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"No, no, no, Pirates, they are not ready for the Champions League, my brother. Their players's mindset is not like [that of Mamelodi] Sundowns' players," Khanye tells KickOff.
"Pirates players are good for the Betway Premiership. So, they struggled on Saturday, to be honest, against a poor Jwaneng Galaxy.
"Yesterday [Saturday], it was worse because they were playing in front of their crowd, so since Screamer Tshabalala has passed on, Orlando Pirates is gonna struggle.
"Sometimes this Jose Riveiro runs out of ideas, sometimes he gets away with results, and because of that, you find people overrating him.
"Bra Stan was playing an important role in terms of selection, and this boy Relebohile Mofokeng, the coach has now substituted him twice in a row while he is on top of his game.
"On Saturday, why did he sideline the boy when the team was playing in Orlando? Regardless of who you are playing against, just wrap the game. Use it to build the combination play for the Champions League.
"Pirates only have a good starting XI, they don't have a strong bench. And even in that starting XI, I can't say everyone there is the best compared to the Sundowns team.
"Sundowns, in each position, they've got two players who are on the same level," says the Daveyton native.
Khanye adds that the Soweto giants were far from convincing over the weekend, and that they "were dominated by a team that lacked quality".
"Pirates players don't have the character to win the Champions League. The coach is making silly mistakes. Sometimes, he acts as if he is programmed. It's like he knows even before the game starts who he is going to substitute. 'No matter how Mofokeng is going to perform, I'm going to sub him'. That's how this Riveiro guy is operating.
"Pirates need a proper number six. Makhehlene Makhaula is old now, so he lacks urgency. I want to see him buzzing and dictating that midfield. I want to see his awareness.
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"And this Thalente Mbatha boy, very energetic ... but lacks awareness. I would love to see his vision than the energy he is showing us.
"So, Pirates mostly rely on Mofokeng's brilliance. What if Mofokeng gets injured or they [opposition] take note of him? At the moment, they are only playing with Mofokeng's side. It's being overloaded.
"I have a problem with Monnapule Saleng's decision-making. Yes, he scores where it matters most because when he makes a mistake, he doesn't stop trying."
Pirates are next in action on Tuesday, where they have a Betway Premiership encounter against Polokwane City at Orlando Stadium.
Kick-off is at 15:00.