A former Orlando Pirates head coach is preaching patience on the current man in charge of the team, Jose Riveiro, although he says the league title should be the ultimate goal.
The Spaniard is in his third and last season with the Buccaneers and has managed to bring in four major trophies to the cabinet.
According to many observers, the Soweto giants have the second-best squad after Mamelodi Sundowns in the league, with the latter having won the trophy seven times in succession.
On Saturday at Orlando Stadium, they host the unpredictable SuperSport United in a hard-to-call MTN8 quarter-finals encounter.
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"I'm very impressed with what the coach of Pirates said. He made a statement that SuperSport is gonna be a team to watch this season, so he is not undermining them," Owen Da Gama, who coached the club during the 2007/08 season, reveals, speaking to KickOff.
"This is going to be a very good start for the season, and it's gonna be a very big game. But I will put my money on Pirates. They have shown their cup pedigree.
"There's a lot of continuity. They have the same coach, they still have most of the players they had last season, and they've strengthened.
"I think it's very unfair to expect Riveiro to win the league this season. There was a time when Sundowns were not winning the league but winning cup competitions.
"I think Pirates are going to put a very good assault on the league this season, though. It's about continuity," he continues.
Da Gama goes on to draw similarities with a legendary former Manchester United manager.
"It took Alex Ferguson six years to win the league, and once he won it, he couldn't stop it, and they broke all sorts of records. So, I think Riveiro has done very well and he should be allowed to continue to build.
"Football is not a destination, it's a process, it's a journey. The fans must allow the management, the coaching department and the players to walk the journey to build them something special.
"I think the potential is there for Riveiro to be Pirates' Alex Ferguson. He's done very well, and this season is gonna be a test for him. Everyone want to see if Pirates could progress beyond last season," says Da Gama.
Though the veteran coach, who turns 63 on 18 August, earlier said it would be unfair to expect Riveiro to win the league this season, he says it is still something the Spaniard should be aiming for.
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"Last season, they finished second, so they've got to challenge for the league this season. This is where we will see what the coach can do.
"But I think if he loses the league by one or two points, then he would have done a great job. It mustn't be a runaway for Sundowns, you know."