Pirates expected to raid the transfer market, with the CAFCL in mind.

While continuity will be a priority for Orlando Pirates head coach, Jose RiveiroJose Riveiro, to build on the success of the 2022/23 season, he says they will also be active in the transfer market to strengthen the squad.

Pirates showed great improvement under Riveiro, by playing with a clear identity, with a lot of tactical discipline which saw them finishing the season with the second best defensive record in the league behind champions, Mamelodi Sundowns.

Having qualified for the CAF Champions League, competition they would love to give a good go, and their ambition to wrestle the Dstv PremiershipDstv Premiership title away from from Sundowns, Pirates will have no choice but to make important additions to their playing personnel.

"It’s a market, players are coming and going every season, I hope not many, it’s important to give continuity to the things we built already," said Riveiro as quoted by iDiski TimesiDiski Times. https://www.idiskitimes.co.za/nedbank-cup/riveiro-on-pirates-off-season-transfer-plans/

"But again probably it’s our obligation, it’s mandatory for us to always have one eye on the market to look at opportunities to improve the squad, the coaching staff, everything because we need to do it, we want to compete and we have to move forward.

ALSO READ: If happiness was a football club, that club would be Orlando Pirates.

http://safootballtxt.blogspot.com/2023/05/happiness-lives-at-orlando-pirates.html

"We can’t think now everything is alright, Riveiro this and the players [are] that, no, we have to be critical [on ourselves], because there are reasons to do that and look for opportunities to make us better as a team."

Pirates did make some interesting signings in the 2022/23 seasons, the three most notable ones being the experienced duo of Kermit Erasmus, former Amazulu midfield hard man, Makhehlene Makhaula, and national team goalkeeper, Melusi Buthelezi.

It will be in offensive positions where Bucs might look to bolster their squad, having relied heavily on Monnapule Saleng in the season that's just ended. 

There will be more finals - Truter.

Sekhukhune United head coach, Brandon Truter, has every reason to believe his side will reach more cup finals.

Sekhukhune proved beyond any reasonable doubt that they can box against the best when they pushed Orlando Pirates to the limit in their 2-1 Nedbank Cup loss on Saturday at Loftus Versfeld Stadium.

Although aging a bit, Sekhukhune players have shown they still have hunger for the game and success that comes with winning.

Having lifted them up from the depths of the relegation zone, Truter has managed to get the best out of players like Edwin Gyimah and Sipho Ntiya-Ntiya, who seem to have found a new lease on life under his guidance.

The addition of talented duo, Kamohelo Mokotjo and Sibusiso Viakazi has added much needed depth in Truter's squad.

Judging by their performances in the second half of the season, and their spirited display against Pirates on Saturday, there is only one way that Babina Noko are headed, and that is all the way up.

"I think it was a good final for the supporters, a good advert for Nedbank. Of course, we scored early, and they scored the last goal and won it," said a proud Truter as quoted by SABC Sport.

"I'm extremely proud of the boys, with the strides made this season – so many accolades, so many achievements, so I can't be bitter about this result.

"I'm sure there will be more finals with the progression in the team, but other than that, you wake up in the morning with expectations and the day will end with experiences."

ALSO READ: If happiness was a football club, that club would be Orlando Pirates: http://safootballtxt.blogspot.com/2023/05/happiness-lives-at-orlando-pirates.html

By virtue of reaching the Nedbank Cup final, with winners Pirates set to take part in the CAF Champions League, Sekhukhune will find themselves in the CAF Confederations Cup next season. 

Happiness lives at Orlando Pirates.

If happiness was a football club, that club would be Orlando Pirates.

The Buccaneers completed their successful 2022/23 season by lifting the Nedbank Cup after beating Sekhukhune United 2-1.

Having won the MTN8 earlier in the season, Pirates also finished second on the log, earning themselves a place in the CAF Champions League.

Jose Riveiro, who is in his first season with Bucs, and also in the running for coach of the season, should be commended for the brilliant work he has done with the club.

To achieve what he achieved in his debut season is no small feat.

It is in the way he went about winning the double and qualifying for the CAFCL that Riveiro has been impressive.

Amabhakaniya play attractive, attacking football that maximizes the strength of their players.

Defensively, they are solid, which speaks volumes about Riveiro's tactical acumen. To achieve the kind of balance between offensive and defensive play he has been able to achieve is not an easy thing to do. But the Spaniard has done it with aplomb.

It is his players that Riveiro is proud of, whom he says they did everything, and everything they did!

ALSO READ: Haaland on his EPL debut season: http://safootballtxt.blogspot.com/2023/05/first-season-in-epl-went-beyond.html

"My players did everything, it’s not easy to play in an exciting day like today,” said Riveiro as quoted by iDiski Times.

"We are learning, we are getting better. We want to play more finals, so this is going to be a good learning process for us.

"I’m extremely happy with the victory, as you can imagine, for everybody, for the fans, for the people in the club, family, friends."

With the kind of performances they displayed this season, one can boldly say that Pirates will be the team to beat next season.

If Riveiro, once called a 'plumber', can achieve what he achieved in his first season, more can be expected from him, a league title maybe? 

I couldn’t see it - Klopp on UCL spot.

• Liverpool will finish fifth on the EPL log table.

• Europa League is their destination.

• Klopp saw it coming [No UCL football]

With Liverpool's fifth place finish confirmed, Jurgen Klopp says as optimistic as he is, he couldn't see his side qualifying for the UEFA Champions League, especially with Newcastle United needing just a point in their previous game to close the door on Liverpool.

"Of course in the moment when it’s then a fact that you cannot qualify for the Champions League anymore, that’s a moment where… because even when I knew after the last game they need one point or whatever, the other two teams need one point, for me it was clear they will get that point so I drew kind of a line underneath it," Klopp said as quoted by liverpoolfc.com.

"I’m a very optimistic person but in these moments I couldn’t see it."

The Liverpool boss has accepted fifth place, which, incidentally, he was not too optimistic about either.

ALSO READ: Haaland on his EPL debut season: http://safootballtxt.blogspot.com/2023/05/first-season-in-epl-went-beyond.html

"If you don’t qualify for the Champions League the best possible place you can end up is fifth, that’s what we did. If you would have asked me that 10 games ago if that’s possible, I would have said, ‘No, I can’t see that, for that you have to play much better’ and all these kinds of things. That the boys did that is really good. It is not perfect. We didn’t end up in fifth place because of the last 10 games, we ended up there because of the lack of consistency before that."

Lack of consistency, is what landed Liverpool in fifth place according to Klopp.

He bemoans their horrible form after the World Cup, and says had they played the way they played in the last 10 games for the whole season, they would be telling a different story.  

"But, I’m not sure, I think the last 10 games, if I’m right even after Dubai since we were in the training camp, so after the World Cup, not everything was great but the amount of points we collected since then is pretty good and if we could have done that over the whole season we would be in a different place."

One thing that Klopp is optimistic about, is Liverpool's prospects for next season, based on the spirit at Anfield towards the end of the season.

"Of course there are reasons for optimistic views because the things we showed in the last few weeks, that’s definitely the case. We have another reason for an optimistic view.

"Because of the atmosphere our people created in the last home game, after the Villa game the atmosphere in the stadium, the way the club said farewell, the day after that how Bobby [Firmino] said farewell.

"All these kinds of things are absolutely the basis for a fantastic future, so we don’t have to make it bigger than it is. It’s a football season, we didn’t deliver what everybody wanted and everybody expected rightly so. But we are still really united and that’s the good thing about it."

Liverpool travel to St. Mary's Stadium on Sunday 28 May for their last English Premier League for their season finale against Southampton. Kick-off will be at 17:30.

First season in the EPL went beyond Haaland's expectations.

It can only be Haaland:

• 36 EPL goals.

• 52 goals across all competitions.

• A 29-year-old EPL goalscoring record broken in first season.

• 2023 Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year.

Manchester City goal machine, Erling Haaland, is surprised by the success he has achieved at the Etihad in his debut season.

He said as much as he expected things to go well at City, he didn't expect them to be this good.

He was speaking after receiving his 2023 Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year award, which he won with a whopping 80% of the votes.

"I didn’t expect it to be this good!" Haaland told amp.mancity.com.

“I expected it to be good of course.

"To come into a team that’s been scoring many goals while winning the Premier League a lot of times – two in a row now three, I expected to do good things but to do this I didn’t quite expect.

"It’s been a fantastic season so far and I’m happy.

"I like it [in Manchester] I’m enjoying it on and off the pitch, I’m enjoying my life.

"The vibe is fantastic. I really enjoy myself. I have a lot of friends.

"We joke a lot, we enjoy it a lot in the locker room and on the pitch. I am really enjoying it and there’s so many good guys in the team."

ALSO READ: Mathoho, a mannequin wearing jersey number 3: http://safootballtxt.blogspot.com/2023/05/mathoho-mannequin-wearing-jersey-number.html

The 22-year-old had special praises for his boss, Pep Guardiola.

Haaland said Guardiola's achievement of  five league titles in six years is 'unreal'. And also touched on the amazing stuff he makes them do in training.

"When you win your fifth Premier League in six years it’s unreal.

"He makes things look so easy on the training ground and in the games.

"It’s crazy what he’s doing and what he makes us do and how good we can play. It’s a big honour to have him as my coach. It’s a pleasure.  

"We don’t like to focus on the future or on the past. I like to live in the moment and I like to take it game-by-game, exactly like what he said and that’s we did.

"We focused and we achieved exactly what we wanted to achieve and in the end it was unreal what we did.

"To be behind all season and in the end just come like a unit together was amazing and an amazing feeling."

Man City will play their last English Premier League game of the season on Sunday 28 May against Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium. The game will kick-off at 17:30.

Mathoho, a mannequin wearing jersey number 3.

Kaizer Chiefs once signed a mannequin, and he was handed jersey number 3. Legendary stuff!

• 11 seasons

• 267 appearances

• 22 goals

• 34 Bafana Bafana caps

• CAF Champions League medal

Eric Mathoho achieved a lot with Kaizer Chiefs, and earned the respect and appreciation for fans, teammates, and Kaizer Chiefs management.

A true professional in his mannerism, one can only hope we haven't seen the last of the man popularly know as Tower.

But above it all, I don't think we have ever had a new signing introduced in mannequin form besides Tower, or have we?

If not, Tower holds the funniest of records.

"Who can forget the dramatic moment in July 2012 when we unvelived our new players, including Morgan Gould, Kgotso Moleko and Siboniso Gaxa, but we were only able to unveil a mannequin wearing jersey #3, as we were trying hard to bring the player to Naturena," said Kaizer Chiefs Marketing Director, Jessica Motaung as quoted by kaizerchiefs.com.

"We knew he was our player but needed to finalise some paper work, as there was interest from other teams."

ALSO READ: Ten Hag says Man Utd are back where they belong: http://safootballtxt.blogspot.com/2023/05/this-club-belongs-in-champions-league.html

Being appreciated, called a legend, and told you are always welcome at Naturena, by none other than Dr Kaizer Motaung, is a blessing on its own, and Mathoho is a blessed man.

"We are happy that the man from Tshiombo in Limpopo realised his dream of donning the Gold & Black jersey of the team he supported from childhood. It’s not everyone who realises this dream," said Kaizer Chiefs Chairman, Dr Kaizer Motaung.

"Erick now joins our long list of Kaizer Chiefs legends who served the Club and its supporters with aplomb over the last 53 years and he will always be welcomed at the Kaizer Chiefs Village."

But....

A bit more could have been done by Kaizer Chiefs to show their appreciation to a player who served the club with distinction for 11 seasons.

Maybe a farewell match or something along those lines. Somehow, I believe that Mathoho deserved better.

This club belongs in the Champions League - Ten Hag.

Manchester United boss, Erik Ten Hag, says United are back where they belong, after securing their UEFA Champions League spot following their 4-1 victory over Chelsea.

United are heading back to the UCL after last participating in it in the 2021/22 season.

Ten Hag believes a Champions League spot is a huge achievement considering the competitiveness of the English Premier League.

"It’s really important [to finish in the top four]. This club belongs in the Champions League and it’s not so easy in the Premier League. It’s a tough competition, strong, with a lot of teams competing for that. And we made it, so we make a good season," said Ten Hag as quoted by manutd.com.

Ten Hag, whose Man United revival project seems to be headed towards the right direction, having won the Carabao Cup, and qualified for the UCL, says he is happy at United, and the spirit within the club is good.

The Champions League qualification, specifically, is the most important step for United, according to their boss.

ALSO READ: Andile Jali exits Mamelodi Sundowns:http://safootballtxt.blogspot.com/2023/05/makaab-confirms-jalis-sundowns-exit.html

"I am comfortable here. But I remember after the second game, Brentford, it was tough. But, yeah, I think we construct a team, it's a good spirit.

"We work very good in the training pitch and we get results. We are improving and I think we are in the right direction and we know we are still not there where we want to be, but we are back in the Champions League. That was, I think, a really important step. We had to do it because if you want to be successful, you have to be in the Champions League."

Now that United have made it into the UCL, Ten Hag has set his sights on finishing third in the EPL.

He has highlighted the importance of winning their next match, with Newcastle United breathing down their necks.

"It's important, Sunday,  we still can be third in the league. It's important to keep [our] focus [and] not get injuries as well. So it gives us good goals for Sunday. But also get a [new] home record, in the history [of United], we can get that. So it's going to be an important game. We want to win that game."

Man United plays Fulham in their next match on Sunday 28 May at Old Trafford. Kick-off will be at 17:30.