Jose Riveiro says facing Mamelodi Sundowns in PSL title race is like 'fighting with a points machine', but the league wants 'strong Kaizer Chiefs'

Jose Riveiro has said that for the Premier Soccer League to be more competitive, Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs must be strong to challenge Mamelodi Sundowns.

The Spaniard, set to be appointed as Al Ahly head coach, admitted that facing Sundowns in a league race was hard because, naturally, they are set to dominate given their quality.

"Something is changing, in my opinion, step by step. It's not something you're going to change in six, 10, or 20 months; it takes time. It's (Sundowns) a strong side; everybody knows everything is set for them to dominate the league from the first game until the last one," Riveiro said, as quoted by KickOff.

"They force you to keep the rhythm in terms of points. It's so difficult to handle, to resist, but I don't think it's a Pirates problem. But, like I said, we're fighting with a points machine. They have pushed the points to become champions to 70. It used to be 60. That's not easy," he added.

"To make it possible in the future, the league might need not only a strong Pirates but also a strong Kaizer Chiefs, one of the historic ones, and a strong Stellenbosch, hopefully in the future. It seems like they're doing things the right way. Sekhukhune United, they're doing a progression season by season, and hopefully little by little the league can become competitive."

In the three seasons Riveiro has been in charge of Pirates, he has lost the league race to Mamelodi Sundowns.

This season and last season, the gap between Pirates, who were second, and Sundowns was very wide. The Brazilians claimed last season's title by hitting 73 points, and the Bucs had 50.

The league has not ended, but the Tshwane giants have already hit the 70-point mark, and Pirates are trailing at 55 points.

Chiefs, on the other hand, are fighting for a top-eight finish, meaning they were far away from challenging either Sundowns or Pirates for the title.

Given the quality and depth of the squad that the Pretoria outfit enjoys, they will be tipped to defend the title again.

Since coaching changes are expected at Pirates, that alone may destabilise the boat a little, as the new technical bench might need time to settle and then vie for the title.

Considering their current struggle in the league, Amakhosi could find it hard to mount a meaningful title challenge next season.