Orlando Pirates coach Riveiro reveals plans around Erasmus and Saleng

• Pirates finally won with Erasmus and Saleng inspiring them
• Saleng scored a brace
• Erasmus provides assists for both goals

WHAT HAPPENED? Saleng grabbed a brace to fire Pirates to a 2-0 Premier Soccer League win over Golden Arrows at Princess Magogo Stadium on Wednesday. Erasmus provided assists for both goals, leaving Riveiro charmed by the combination between the two attackers. With Pirates struggling upfront in recent times, the Buccaneers coach feels he might have found a workable partnership.

WHAT THEY SAID: “Obviously the interactions between the players improve, they know each other better and they start to understand each other better,” Riveiro told SuperSport TV. “Their body language, non-verbal communication and those associations between talented players are just coming together.

“We have a lot of talented players so it's great when they have a chance to play more minutes together without making substitutions every game and we can keep playing the same starting 11. We're just trying to give them a good structure, their talent will do the rest.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: So far this season, Pirates have shown glaring shortcomings upfront where their strikers have been struggling. They have managed nine goals in 12 league games. But with Erasmus and Saleng showing promise in their partnership, there could be some improvement in attack.

STORY IN TWO PHOTOS:

WHAT NEXT FOR PIRATES? Pirates now prepare to meet Mamelodi Sundowns in the MTN8 semi-final, second leg at Peter Mokaba Stadium on Saturday. It is to be seen if Erasmus and Saleng will pick up from where they left off against Arrows and cause problems for Sundowns.