Cape Town – Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro has been overly impressed by the resurgent Kermit ‘Romeo’ Erasmus, who, despite months of inactivity, has shown that he is battle-ready.
After seeing him in action at training, Riveiro feels Erasmus will be a wonderful acquisition.
“I found an experienced player, smart and professional because he’s in a good fitness level,” said Riveiro. “So that shows me he was taking care of himself so that he is ready to perform. He was ready to train.
“It takes time, of course. He just arrived a few days ago. He’s had a few experiences so far with the team, the group, and the methods, so we need to be patient.
“We can’t think about the past, like when we spoke about results.
“We can’t think about what he did, we must think about what he can do for us now. We must be patient and understand that he has just had three or four training sessions in our structure.
“Hopefully, he can help us very soon. We need everyone because there are five league games in October, two semi-finals. It’s exciting games so we’ll need all of them.
“Kermit’s experience in the league and overseas, it’s going to be important for us and I can see an interesting player in there for sure.”
Pirates fans have also raised expectations of Erasmus lining up against his former club Mamelodi Sundowns and spearheading the team’s victory bid.
Given their positions on the Premiership standings, tomorrow’s MTN8 first-leg semi-final clash is shaping up as a top-of-the-table clash.
It also sounds like the final before the final clash, since the two other semi-finalists, Kaizer Chiefs and AmaZulu, are further down the standings.
Under Riveiro, Pirates have been showing steady improvement and apart from Erasmus, the arrival of Ndabayithethwa Ndlondlo has given the team greater attacking options.
Riveiro seems to have found the best combination for his four-man rear-guard and now it remains for him to settle on the rest of the positions.
Pirates captain Innocent Maela, who has just returned from Bafana Bafana duty, has cautioned his teammates against “playing the occasion”.
“We’re playing against a very good team, but we have a plan,” said Maela. “We know how to play the game and we must make sure that we don’t play the occasion but play the game.
“It’s also very important for us to do well in the first leg because it’s our home game in front of our supporters.
“At the end of the day, it’s a tie with two legs so we have to be smart, and we need to know how to play in a certain way to give ourselves a chance going into the second leg and ultimately progress to the final.”
Maela was a member of the Pirates side that lifted the MTN8 trophy two years ago and he does not feel pressure as the captain to ensure the team remains on track to reach the final.
“Whether you wear the armband or not, the pressure is the same as long as you’re representing the team,” Maela told the Pirates media department.
“There will always be pressure to deliver and perform, so for me it’s been the same. But this season I’ve assumed more responsibility and accountability within the group.”
IOL Sport