Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro delighted to have four ‘excellent goalkeepers’ at his disposal, but admits he will have a section dilemma in the new season.
The Spanish coach will have a selection headache in between the posts with Sipho Chaine, Siyabonga Mpontshane, Sphamandla Gumede and two international goalkeepers, Richard Ofori and Melusi Buthelezi, fighting for the number one jersey.
Pirates recently added Gumede, who joined the club from the amateur ranks at Dondol Stars and Buthelezi from TS Galaxy. This comes after the Soweto giants released Kopano Thuntsane.
Last season, Chaine was the preferred choice for Orlando Pirates as they clinched a cup double; the MTN8 and Nedbank Cup on top of qualifying for the CAF Champions League. But Ghana international Ofori and Mpontshane kept the ex-Chippa United goalie on his toes.
Bafana Bafana shot-stopper Buthelezi is expected to challenge the trio, while Gumede is seen as a long-term replacement for Mpontshane in the twilight of his career.
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“We are in a fantastic space about the goalkeepers, and the squad is very strong,” said the Pirates coach. “We have four exceptional goalkeepers, all of them are ready to deliver and ready to play.
“They offer different characteristics, but we are more than calm whenever one of them is in goal.”
Jose Riveiro also highlighted the significance of having a ball-playing goalkeeper in modern-day football and for his team as he builds from the back and plays position-based football.
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“What I expect from them is to continue making steps forward in their performances in the way that they contribute to the team in every phase of the game, not only in the defensive phase,” he added.
“It is important that we have solid goalkeepers because we are a team that spends most of the time on the ball, the participation of the goalkeepers in this type of a team is important.
“This is because they are asked a few times during the game to appear, and they have to do that. That’s why they are all excellent in that sense and also help us to play with 11 players when we are in position.
“So it is an interesting challenge for the goalkeepers to participate in both phases, and they are all high-profile goalkeepers and excellent, professionals.”